ks #165 feb 2014

KANSAI’S ENGLISH MAGAZINE

無料issue 165

February 2014

www.kansaiscene.com

Kansai Scene is proudly published and printed by Mojoprint

Listings: Where to go & what to do Events / Art / Film / Live / Club / Maps & Classifieds

Heavy Petting

Plus+Uji walking guideHafu: a film about the new Japan

Pets we love: Pimped out pooches,

cats in cafes, animal rescue

thepet

issue

KANSAI SCENE MAGAZINE | ISSUE #165 FEBRUARY 2014 | kansaiscene.com 3

DISCLAIMER Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher. We take no responsibility for the quality or content of advertisements. Public and private parties appproached by those claiming to work for or on behalf of Kansai Scene should call this office to confirm the truth of any such claim, especially where money may be involved.

Features

Features

Animal Rescue Kansai p07

Animal services p10

Taking tea with geisha p12

Speed dating tips p25 Travel

Uji walking tour p14Business Matters

Japan’s first cat cafe p05

Presentation success p16Film

Hafu p23

Listings

Film p24

Events p26

Art p30

Live Music p32

Club p36

Classifieds p40

Maps p44

Publisher/Creative Director ..............Daniel LeeEditor ............................................. Carla AvolioSub-editor ...............................Donna SheffieldSales Manager ..........................Ryuichi Fukuda Accounts Manager ........................Michiko Lee

Art ...................................................Colin SmithEvent & Festival ........................... Yuki UchiboriFilm ................................................ Adam MillerLive music ................................ Phillip JacksonClub ................................................Terumi Tsuji

Interested in writing for Kansai Scene? Please contact [email protected] after reviewing our writers guidelines: kansaiscene.com/write-for-us

COVER ART: Ryan Parker

Ryan Parker creates pet portraits using mixed media montage techniques, to capture the personality of both pet and owner. Find out more on p.22.

Contact Kansai SceneGeneral [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]. 06-6539-1717 Fax. 06-7635-4791Address Osaka-shi, Nishi-ku, Shinmachi 3-5-7, Eiko Bldg. 2FWebsite kansaiscene.com

A BIT OF HISTORY Kansai Scene was founded by Peter Horvath and Nishikawa Keiko in 2000 and published by Jatin Banker between 2003 – 2011. Published monthly, KS provides English articles, information and listings for visitors and residents of the Kansai area.

Kansai Scene is published monthly by Mojoprint

Contents

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kansaiscene @kansaiscene

KANSAI SCENE MAGAZINE | ISSUE #165 FEBRUARY 2014 | kansaiscene.com4

News & Openings

Five of the best... Petting zoos

Get connected in OsakaOsaka — Osaka Government Tourism Bureau proudly flipped the switch on its new free wi-fi scheme on Jan 29 last month. The first scheme of its scale in Japan, the Osaka Free Wi-fi project aims to connect foreign visitors to Osaka, by providing a readily available network of access points across the entire prefecture, including local train and subway stations, hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions. While initial coverage will be limited, a massive 8,000 additional access points are promised by the end of the year.

Access is provided in partnership with NTT and is completely free, but limited to 30 minute sessions. You can however, log on as many times as you like.

From Mar 1, users will also be able to access the Osaka Enjoy Rally, a new portal site that will provide up-to-the-minute information and offer special discounts to participating attractions, museums and retail outlets.

These new initiatives are some of the measures aimed at improving services for foreign visitors to Osaka, as it works towards its ambitious target to attract some 6.5 million tourists a year by 2020.

Watch out for the red stickers pop-ping up everywhere around Osaka in the coming months.

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Connect with Kansai Scene… Facebook TwitterCatch up with KS on social media

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Misaki ParkTake a global safari with a single visit to this venerable amusement park. Get cosy with kangaroos from Down Under, pose for photos with a dolphin and enjoy snack time with monkeys, armadillos and capybaras from the New World. You can even watch while the giant rodents take a hot bath. Strange, but true. www.nankai.co.jp/misaki

Satsukiyama ZooCheeky racoons, punky-haired Guinea pigs, gradiouse emus and oh-so-cute wombats are just some of the friends you can visit at this petting zoo in Ikeda. And make sure not to miss getting up close and personal with the exotic mara - rabbit-like rodents from South America.satsukiyamazoo.com

The World RanchThis is not your run-of-the-mill rabbit-and-chic kiddie experience. World Ranch brings together some of the more exotic critters from across the globe for your petting convenience. Think hot-pink fla-mingos, santa’s reindeer and doe-eyed llamas. Best reached by car.worldranch.co.jp/animals

Osaka AquariumYou can count on the world-class Osaka Aquarium to bring you an unforgettable hands-on experience. Their interactive exhibits, unveiled 12 months ago, will see you get closer than ever to seals, penguins and otherworldly rays. Find the new “kaiyukan” exhibits after the “Floating Jelly Fish” area. kaiyukan.com/newkaiyukan

Kyoto City ZooThe Kyoto City Zoo have a special Children’s zoo with a touch-friendly collection of farm animals and some wildlife including, apparently, a lesser panda. The miniature pig is also worth the visit, even for the humour factor alone.www5.city.kyoto.jp/zoo/lang/en

Each month, KS brings you five of the hottest tips

Got some news? Email your suggestions to [email protected]


Business Matters

Japan’s first cat cafeYoko Yoshida is literally the cat (cafe) lady of Osaka. She owns Neko no Jikan, the first cat cafe in Japan. Her aim is to share the beauty of cats with people. KS asked all about it.Text: Sarasa Kitano

Kansai Scene: What made you decide to start a cat cafe business?Yoko Yoshida: I used to work as a dog groomer for 20-odd years. However, I got tired of them always barking and making noise, and realized I need some relaxation. Of course, I love all animals, and cats are no exception. I wanted to have cats that I could groom beautifully and share with visitors. That’s how I first came up with our “cat relaxation” idea. It’s like a manga-kissa (comic cafe), where visitors can lay down on the sofa, browse comic books, or relax and chat with friends. Many people, however, were opposed to my idea. They would ask, “Who wants to be charged to see cats?” So I started the cat cafe more like as a hobby. We run two cafes now, one in Kita, and the other in Amemura.

KS: Where are the cats from?YY: We adopted the cats from profes-sional breeders. It is important to have healthy cats as long as they live together. Finding friendly cats is also very important. For example, Russian Blues and Abyssinians are not very compatible with other types of cats. We started with five Maine Coons. They’re friendly, playful, and relatively easy to train. We have 20 cats at Kita now. Knowledge of different breeds and types of traits play a key role in making

a comfortable environment for cats. People would think cats are stressed out because they love isolation, but that’s not always true. Our cats love to have people around and to be petted.

KS: How did you make a cat-friendly environment?YY: I designed the room based on the manga kissa concept. Of course, the room needs to be cat-centered, so we put shelves and cat beds in, too. They play in the entire 360-degree space. When I first started, I rented an office and made it cat-friendly with sofas and litter box out of sight of guests. When I later opened the cafe, that DIY experi-ence helped me a lot because it gave me the idea of what kind of environ-ment I wanted for cats

KS: Any differences between Kita and Amemura? YY: They have different concepts. Kita has a traditional Japanese ap-peal, with tatami and wooden tables, while Amemura has a more natural feel, with green-coloured interiors. Also, it is interesting to notice that the cafes attract different kinds of guests. Families and older people visit Kita, while the younger crowd tends to visit Amemura. The number of foreign visitors is increasing, too. I guess our cafes are featured in travel guidebooks or something.

KS: Tell us about your other businesses. YY: In addition to the two cat cafes, we also run a cat beauty parlor and a cat hotel. That’s part of the reason why we moved to the current place. We can perform all services that cats of any age may need in one location, which makes it more convenient to run. For example, when a cat from one of the cafes gets old, he/she needs to be well taken care of in a quiet place, so we take him/her up to our living space. We also support some activities such as finding owners for abandoned cats.

nekonojikan.com


Feature

Dedication that gives paws for thoughtRescuing unwanted and abused animals for 24 years, ARK has made huge strides to improve animal welfare in Japan. At its heart there’s a passionate and proactive British woman, Elizabeth Oliver, MBE.Text: Donna Sheffield • Images: Courtesy ARK


At our best, humans can provide everything for an animal—shelter, food, warmth, and love. At our worst, humans can deny them everything. Under or over feed them. Treat them as toys, only to be played with when we feel like it, or simply money-making puppy machines. Kick them out when they become too big, too noisy, too difficult to handle.

Animal welfare is slowly improv-ing in some parts of the world, but it takes a lot of time, energy and passion for the cause to make these changes happen. Here in Japan, dogs and cats are usually bought from tiny-caged pet shops. You’ve seen them, in almost eve-ry city—the glass-fronted shops where puppies and kittens have barely enough space to snooze, their faces often turned eagerly towards yours through the glass, hopeful for an owner.

The luckiest ones bought from these shops have a caring family for life. As for the unlucky, they’re either badly kept, “thrown out”—abandoned—or sent to the hokenjo, the city pound. Sometimes, they get adopted from the pound, or claimed within a week. If not, they’re gassed. That’s the sad fate of some 300,000 animals every year.

Thanks to the dedication and deter-mination of one British ex-pat, aban-doned and mistreated animals do have another future. They have a chance to be fed, groomed and nursed into good health by caring humans. They have a chance to find a new family, with no time limit at all put on their lives, and no more glass boxes.

Animal Rescue Kansai, or ARK, is the lifework of Elizabeth Oliver, MBE. ARK has rescued and rehomed thousands of animals, and shows no signs of slowing in its aims to improve animal welfare nationwide.

Yet ironically, Elizabeth didn’t even plan on coming to Japan in the begin-ning. She set out from the UK in 1965 intending to travel to Mongolia and Tibet. But a chance meeting with a Japanese man, a friend of a friend, left her with a Japanese meishi in hand. “Cutting a long story short, I had to abandon plans to visit Mongolia because of train problems,” she said. “Instead I travelled to south China and then Hong Kong. There I found a cargo ship bound for Kobe so decided to take it.” She called the Japanese friend, and was welcomed to Kansai warmly.

Elizabeth first became a teacher in Osaka, but found city life too claus-trophobic, and moved out into the mountainous Nose area to restore a farmhouse that she still lives in today, with seven dogs and three cats. She said: “My early days were a lot of fun. I had everything I had ever wanted, an easy job, enough money to travel, many friends, a house in the country and animals. But I felt in a sense my life wasn’t complete. I needed a cause to work for.”

An animal lover from an early age—she had a pony at age 7—her cause soon became abandoned animals. At first she began rescuing animals on a small scale, working at a university and using her salary to pay for their food and vet bills. “I realized that working

as an individual had limitations and I needed more support,” she said. “So I decided to set up ARK in order to get members and supporters and more money. In the beginning I worked together with friends and volunteers but these people only came when they were free. In order to look after a grow-ing number of animals, we needed regular staff. But if you have staff, you need to pay their salaries and hence more money.”

The biggest growth spurt for ARK was caused by the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995. From a small but slowly growing organization, it had to triple overnight, taking in 600 animals who lost their homes or families in the disaster. ARK suddenly needed more volunteers, more space, and more staff to help out. It became a registered NPO, constantly needing donations and support from businesses and individuals.

Of course the human cost of natural disasters is devastating; but little is known or reported about the effect on animals in the same region. In Tohoku, farm animals and family pets led a relatively comfortable life until the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear

Where is ARK?

• ARK Nose: home to 180 dogs and 180 cats, run by 30 staff. This is where rescued animals are sheltered, cared for and eventually adopted. Elizabeth also lives on site and holds lectures and workshops.

• ARK Tokyo: An administrative office set up for people looking to adopt an animal.

• ARK Sasayama: currently being built. This covers 7,000 tsubo of flat land and will feature a warehouse, training and education centre, staff facilities, kennels and a cattery, as well as DogLand, an open space that will welcome pet owners for special events.

arkbark.net


leak that followed. Those that survived these disasters faced dehydration, starvation and even cannibalism. ARK staff visited the Fukushima area and rescued 200 animals, neutering some 638 more to prevent thousands more feral animals being born.

Animals that have been abandoned aren’t the only ones to find a home at ARK. Elizabeth actively looks for animals being kept in cruel captivity, and challenges those who are doing it. ARK has investigated and prosecuted those that mistreat animals, including a yakuza breeding ring in Saga prefec-ture. Once these gangster guys might have dealt in drugs or women, now they keep dogs—often in filthy and tiny apartments—and sell their week-old puppies to pet shops.

Elizabeth has been physically threat-ened and even arrested for trying to find out the truth and rescue some of the animals involved, but she refuses to be intimidated or silenced. She spreads information through media interviews, ARK’s website and active social media channels on Facebook and twitter.

It’s this courage, steely determination and dedication to helping animals for the past 24 years that earned her one of England’s highest honors, an MBE in 2012.

“At the time I was involved with this ongoing yakuza case, so when I got a call from the British Ambassador I thought, uh-oh, maybe I’m being asked to get out of Japan,” she remembered. “When they told me I was getting an MBE, I said, ‘Wow. Let me sit down and have a drink!’”

The MBE has brought more media attention to ARK, but it’s a tough ongo-ing job to raise money and awareness about the plight of animals. When she first set up ARK, Elizabeth used to spend a lot more time personally with hands-on animal rescue and care. But these days, as she’s in her seventies,

she’s more involved with administra-tion, promotional work including lectures, and writing books about her experiences with ARK.

Every day she gets up at 6:30am to walk her own dogs, and gets ready to welcome the ARK staff at 7:30am. A morning meeting is held to discuss animals coming in or going out to new homes, and any jobs or volun-teers there that day. On Wednesdays, she usually heads to Sasayama, where a new ARK facility is slowly taking shape.

The new facility will include a train-ing and education centre, something that’s key to Elizabeth’s hopes for the future of animal welfare. “Education is key,” she said. “The media in Japan often focus on the cute side of owning a pet, they don’t emphasise the re-sponsibility it also involves. They don’t talk about how different animals are suitable for different people. They don’t report on the real truth behind puppies sold in pet shops.”

If more people were made aware of the facts, they would surely shun the pet shops and come to a place like ARK instead to adopt an animal. It

seems like an overwhelming task to try and change the mindset of a nation, but Elizabeth doesn’t give up easily. She refers to the success of places like Bat-tersea Cats & Dogs Home in the UK, which has been rescuing and rehoming animals for 150 years.

“Of course I want ARK to continue and grow like that,” Elizabeth said. “In the future, I hope that animal welfare in Japan can be brought up to inter-national standards, in particular the control of the pet business, breeders and so on. Also that cruelty is taken more seriously and addressed.”

On January 6th 2014, Hyogo pre-fectural police set up an animal abuse hotline, the first in Japan—so steps are being made in the right direction.

Elizabeth still visits the UK once or twice a year now, but her home and her heart are very definitely here in Kansai—among the thousands of four-legged lives she has helped to save. That’s one hell of a legacy in any country.

How you can help ARK

Adopt a petIf you can give a safe and loving home to one of ARK’s animals, check the website or Facebook page to learn more about the animals looking for new homes, and the procedure.facebook.com/pages/Animal-Refuge-Kansai-ARK

Donate timeARK Nose is always looking for volunteers to walk dogs, play with cats, clean out kennels, and help groom animals. Even if you have no real pet experience, or can only visit once a month, the animals and staff there will welcome you. People skilled in gardening, maintenance, and photography are always needed to help with specific tasks on site.

A small dormitory is available for those wanting to stay overnight and help.

Donate moneyNPOs like ARK rely solely on donated money to keep running, so one-off donations, memberships or annual animal sponsorship are just a few of the options.

Donate clothesWhen you’re looking to clear out your closet, donate your clothes, shoes and bags to Orange Thrifty in Kobe, as they raise funds for ARK.kobe-haberdashery.com/othriftyrokko/ot-e/otshop-e.html

arkbark.net


KS steeps itself in the rites and rituals of ancient Japan.Text & images: Bonnie Carpenter

Feature

The taking of tea}


Many foreign residents in Japan savour the chance to taste the Japan that was: historical, classical, ancient, removed from the modern clamour of cell-phones and the ubiquitous Kitty-chan. An event that embodies so much of the grace and elegance of Japan’s yester-year is Baika-sai or the Plum Blossom Festival, held yearly on February 25 at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto. This is a most rare opportunity to experience one of the most endear-ing and enduring of Japan’s cultural icons— geisha —serving tea to the public in an exquisite outdoor tea ceremony. This event commemorates the death of Michizane Sugawara, a well-known scholar, politician, and plum-blossom aficionado in the Heian era. He was revered as a god of learning and scholastic study, so many students make the pilgrimage to the shrine to pray for success in their high school or university entrance exams. The festival has been held on the same day every year for about 900 years with

the outdoor tea ceremony or nodate, being added in 1952. What makes this event so special is that it is hosted by approximately 30 geiko and maiko, gei-sha and apprentice geisha, respectively, from the local Kamishichiken area.

The only etiquette required for the ceremony is you must remove and carry your shoes. One can then sit and be served tableside or join the elite sitting on the covered ground where one gets a prime view of an actual tea-making by geisha. You will be served a bowl of hot whipped matcha green tea and small sweet cakes. Sit-ting among the blooming reds, pinks and whites of the ume plum blossoms while being served by dainty geisha in formal kimono and white make-up can make one understand the cultural concept of ichi-go ichi-e—one chance, one meeting—which is the feeling best associated with the tea ceremony. A superb Japan moment!

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Tea taking tips

• When to go: The event has a religious service starting at the main shrine at 10am. The tea ceremony is from 10am–3pm.

• Tickets: Official advertising states advance tickets sold only at the shrine are required to participate in the nodate, with tickets going on sale for the first 3,000 people from January 25. But tickets, costing ¥1,500, are also sold on the day of the event and the lines are much shorter after 1pm.

• More fun: For total immersion in old Japan also on Feb 25, Kitano has their monthly flea market where one can buy silk kimono for a bargain price, admire antiques and purchase tasty street food as you shop.

GETTING THERE Kitano Tenmangu Shrine can be directly reached by Kyoto city bus 50 or 101 from JR Kyoto station. Alternatively, take the Hankyu Kyoto Line to Omiya station and catch the 55 or 203 bus to Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop. (¥220, 30 minutes).• Address: Bakuro-cho, Kamigyo-

ku, Kyoto• Tel: 075-461-0005• Web: kitanotenmangu.or.jp/

english


Feature

The pampered hounds of HorieKansai Scene sniffs out the bewildering array of services available for our four-legged friends.Text & images: Matthew Coslett

They might be known as man’s best friend, but dogs in Japan actually more closely resemble royalty than a regular chum. With luxury pampering, high fashion clothing and genuine leather accessories, pooches lucky enough to be born in the land of the rising sun can look forward to a life that’s doggone-dandy. Indeed, research from the agency Research Panel shows that dogs in Japan are more likely to be owned by families with large incomes. And with all that money to burn, these dog-lovers have caused the pet industry to skyrocket to ¥1.2 trillion. So, what exactly are these rich families spending all their money on? To find out, KS snooped around the uber-chic Horie area, known to be the epicentre of pooch pampering.

Lassies who lunchDog cafes were one of the earliest centres of canine commerce to appear in the area. Here, owners can take their own dogs or spend time with the “in house” dogs that are kept especially for people’s petting convenience. While the most likely explanation for the popularity of these places is “just be-cause”, the cafe’s fans are quick to cite a recent article by the National Institute of Health showing that people who regularly pet animals are statistically less likely to have a fatal heart attack.

While there are countless cafes to choose from, one of the more notable ones is Kofumi, which offers a dog run where pooches that have been cooped up in apartments can stretch their legs. Of course, this being Japan,

KANSAI SCENE MAGAZINE | ISSUE #165 FEBRUARY 2014 | kansaiscene.com 11there’s always going to be an extreme version and a neighboring business has taken the exercise concept to the next level. In a bid to outdo competitors, Peace One offer an agility training school for dogs. If you’ve ever wanted a pet that can impress your friends by running through tunnels and jumping hurdles, then this place is for you. It all comes to a feverish climax at the Peace One festival where highly-trained dogs do canine gymnastics for their adoring owners.

Hotel for houndsOf course, all of this fun can make the little darlings tired, so luckily there are places for pooches to get a little bit of R&R. PARCS offers rooms that can be rented by the hour for some shuteye, as well as a “hotel”’ for longer stays. Dog Hotel Felice also has a selection of rooms ranging from basic to the kind that Paris Hilton’s chihuahua probably enjoys. Their most expensive room is the Sweet Room. This pooch paradise costs ¥25,100 but offers walks, a spa-cious room with mats, two beds and unlimited access to a play zone featur-ing hoops and tunnels. Yep, better than the room I got on my last holiday! If this makes you feel envious, don’t fret. Out in Kobe, Hotel Okura has luxury rooms where pets and their owners can stay together.

And if that’s not enough, why not go one further and give them a spa too? The Peace One spa boasts that it increases blood circulation and improves the beauty of your beloved pet’s skin and hair, and the Yao store offers a bubble spa option for the truly spoilt pets.

Dressed to impressIf, for some strange reason, you have ever wondered what your dog would look like dressed up like an angel, Fa-ther Christmas or Superman, then Dog Luck has you covered. My personal favourite was a jacket with a minia-ture jockey “riding” the dog. A recent popular trend has been for outfits with small arms, so that you can make your dog actually look exactly like some crazy cosplaying mini-person if you want. Admittedly a very big if…

Hush puppiesIn the likely event that dogs are secretly a metaphor for children, then the dogs whose owners shop at Cou Cou are basically the spoilt brats moaning because they only got one ice cream when they wanted two. While most people would be forgiven for thinking that dogs already have shoes, because of, you know, those pads on the bottom of their feet, the staff at this store would no doubt disagree. So for anyone that feels you can never be too careful, you can add an extra level of protection by giving your pup shoes. Called Pawz, they may be excessive, but just possibly your pooch will be grate-ful on these cold winter nights.

Pimp the poochCou Cou also offers you plenty of opportunities to play dress-up with your favourite pet. There’s a rabbit costume, complete with sparkly bunny ears, and even coloured hair exten-sions called Panash that can be molded into whatever hairstyle you desire. And should your canine friend have, dare I say, any odor, then this can be easily eliminated by purchasing a smell cleansing machine. But the ultimate in crazy accessories has to be the “quack bills”—muzzles that give your pet a distinctly non-threatening duck beak. But if you do go down this path, just remember that next time your pet is scratching on the door, it might just be pretending to go to the toilet so it can run away from home.

Where to pimp your pooch

• PARCS: parcs-pet.com/hotel.html • Cou Cou: www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/cou-cou• Peace One: peace-one.jp/awaspa and peace-one.jp/festival2013 • Felice: osaka.felice-pet.jp/room.html • Tuk Tuk: www.tuktuk-2929.com/shop.html• Bamvish: www.bamvish.com/shop/index.html• Wasabee Cafe: wasabee-cafe.com


Travel

Refresh yourself with UjiThe historical town of Uji is the perfect place to immerse yourself in tea and tradition. We’ve put together this handy walking guide to make sure you hit the major spots in one glorious day.Text and Images: Phil Jackson

Starting from the north side of the River Uji, and following the narrow road that runs eastwards along the river, the first stop-off is the small but famous Ujigami Shrine.

Ujigami JinjaThis World Heritage shrine is dedi-cated to Crown Prince Uji no Waki-iratsuko and his father Emperor Ojin (late 4th century) as well as Ojin’s son Emperor Nintoku. Prince Waki-irat-suko is said to have drowned himself in the Uji River leaving elder brother Nintoku to take the throne.

The main honden or hall was built in the late Heian Period (11th century). The Kirihara-no-mizu spring within

the shrine grounds is one of the seven Famous Waters of Uji, Uji shichi meisui.

Just a little further down the road and by the river is Uji Shrine. Uji JinjaUntil the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Uji shrine was part of Ujigami (lower and upper shrines). The main structure was built in the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). It is thought that the shrine is built on the former site of the Kirihara no Higeta palace built by Prince Waki-iratsuko.

Have you ever had a bottle of Iemon tea? Well, it comes from Uji and is pro-duced by the Fukujuen Tea Company, which is a short walk further along the river.

Fukujuen Tea CompanyOn the first floor is a gift shop and on the second a cafe and workshop where you can learn matcha tea making. Us-ing a stone tea grinder to grind the ten-cha (tea leaves) into matcha tea powder this grinding period takes about 20 to 30 minutes. Grind fast for coarse bitter tea and slowly for finer sweet tea. Then enjoy drinking the matcha that you’ve just ground along with a piece of Japa-nese yoka sweet. The whole experience costs ¥1,050.

Leaving Fukujuen, cross the river to the south side via two small bridges and an island. Once across if you want to take a short river ride, you can catch a boat from here before visiting the Byodoin.

UjiShrine

Byodo-inTemple

TokichiCafe

The Rockin’Hearts pub

Wamuu

FukujuenTea Company

UjigamiShrine

JR Uji Sta.

Keihan Uji Sta.

Eshin-inTemple

HashideraHojo-in Temple

Murasaki ShikibuStatue

UjigawaSenjinnohi

The Tale of GenjiMuseum

MimurotojiTemple

KoshojiTempleAsahiyaki

Pottery

Agata Shrine Stone Pagoda

KambayashiMemorial Hall

Taiho-anTea House

MimurodoSta.

KeihanU

ji LineTo Kyoto

To NaraJR Nara Line

Uji River

Uji Bridge

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ByodoinThe World Heritage Byodoin will lift the covers on its lengthy restoration in April.

Originally built in 998 (Heian Pe-riod) as a rural villa for the high rank-ing courtier Minamoto no Shigenobu, it became a Buddhist temple in 1052. The famous Phoenix Hall—as pictured on ¥10 coins—was built in 1053. The temple and hall are surrounded by an impressive garden next to which is a small museum.

From Byodoin following the path towards Uji Bridge takes you along a street of shops selling teas and goods. A must-visit is the small shop called Wamuu—an old traditional Japanese store that has been in business since 1926. Following this street then brings you to Uji Bridge and the nearby stone statue of Murasaki Shikibu.

Uji BridgeThere has been a bridge here since the 7th century, with the first being erected in 640.

The bridge appears in many pieces of literature including The Tale of Genji and has been the scene of 12th and 13th century battles. It was from Uji Bridge that water was drawn from the river for the tea ceremony for Toyotomi Hideyoshi, though the current bridge was rebuilt in 1993.

Food and drinkWhen it comes to eating and drinking, Uji has both the old and the new. The well-known Tokichi cafe has two locations, one close to Uji Bridge overlooking the river and the main restaurant across from JR Uji station. The tea manufacturer Nakamura Tokichi first opened it in 1859 at the current main establishment. While there are many wonderful dining establishments in Uji, a visit to this city is incomplete without going to Tokichi. But if you want something more modern, The Rockin’ Hearts Irish Pub opened its doors directly across from Uji JR station last October

AccessAccess to Uji is easy, via either Keihan Uji station north of the river (15 minutes from Chushojima) or JR Uji station south of the river (25 minutes from Kyoto). Both are convenient for all sightseeing locations. Just make sure you have time for plenty of tea before the last train home.


Business Matters

Presentation is everythingBusiness and presentation guru Coach Kardan has trained thousands of sales representatives across Japan. KS met with him to find out why presentation is the key to success.Text: KS

Kansai Scene: Tell us about yourself and how you became a presentation coach.Coach Kardan: I was born and raised in Iran. In 1980 our nation ended up in a violent conflict with Iraq, partly due to a string of bad decisions by our new leader. I remember watching his demeanour and thinking how it was overtly aggressive and lacked any elegance. After witnessing how disas-trous poor presentation can be, I made a decision to become a master pre-senter and influence people to do great things; to create and not to destroy.

KS: How did you end up in Japan?CK: Ever since watching the Japanese drama Oshin on television as a young boy, coming to Japan was one of the things on my list of 100 things I want to do, be & create in life. Oshin’s story inspired me to never give up trying and make something of my own life, despite the odds. I published a book in Japanese about my life experiences Jinsei wo kaeru - ketsudan no chikara and it became a best-seller. I hope to someday translate it to English for the foreign community.

KS: What is your business back-ground and what does a presentation coach actually do?CK: I am the CEO of Step Up Corpo-ration, a corporate training com-

pany based in Minato-ku,Tokyo. Our expertise is in helping corporations achieve better sales and productivity by introducing our three major programs: Leadership Presentation, Productivity for Managers, and Sales Presentation. The core of all of our programs is about “influence’’ - how to empower people to take action and achieve their goals. We then tailor this core message to work differently for leaders, managers and the sales team.

KS: Who are some examples of your clients and how have you helped them?CK: I work with people from all walks of life: business owners, to professional performers, to large corporations. One of my clients is a 22-year-old university student who is entering a Tokyo speech contest. The prize for the the winner is 20 million yen ($200,000 USD) which can be life changing for him. I am ex-cited to help him achieve his goal and his dream to build his own business in the future.

KS: Can other, smaller businesses also benefit from presentation train-ing - restaurateurs for example?CK: Of course. This is a skill that all businesses need regardless of the size. If you look at the most valuable companies in the world like Apple, you can see that former leader Steve Jobs

did an outstanding job of representing his company and his brand. The same is true for any business, no matter the size. In a restaurant, for example, cus-tomers probably won’t return if wait-staff don’t know how to communicate with them, regardless of how tasty the food is. But if you put the right food and the right team together to provide quality service, you won’t believe what will happen to the business.

Coach Kardan is staging a presentation

coaching seminar in Kansai this Spring:

Three Steps to Mastering Presentation.

Learn world-class presentation

techniques that can change the direction

of your business and life.

Date: Apr 9 (Wed) • Time: 1–3pm (in

English) 7–9pm (in Japanese)

Venue: Osaka • Tickets: ¥8,000 at the

door, ¥5,000 early bird (with a 100%

money back guarantee)

Register here at: www.kardan.jp/0409

For more questions: [email protected]

(English or Japanese)

Kansai Scene reader offer: If you’d like to double your sales or income, take this rare opportunity and book a 30 min free consultation with Coach. Email us at: [email protected]. Attention: “Kansai Scene Coach Kardan Training.”


Language

Puppy loveJapan is a country enamoured by four-legged friends. Any-body who has visited a park would have seen dachshunds being pushed around in strollers by octogenarians, or corgis curled up contentedly in the baskets of bicycles. The nation’s love for dogs is fueling an industry devoted entirely to luxury accessories and treatments (see our feature on page 12). Believe it or not, you can check your pooch into a hotel and pick them up a pair of shoes at the same time. And while this extreme pampering exists, there is also a very real problem of animal neglect, which we explore on page 7. In honour of Valentine’s Day, we celebrate the creatures that love us unconditionally: smart, loyal, and loving dogs.

Pooch / Dog-gie / Dog

ワンちゃん／愛犬／犬 Wanchan / Ai ken / Inu

Veterinary surgery / Ani-mal Hospital

動物病院 Doubutsu Byouin

What’s its name?

名前は何ですか Namae wa nan desu ka?

What breed is your dog?

何犬ですか Nani ken desu ka?

How old is your dog?

何歳ですか nan sai desu ka?

Where did you get it?

どこで購入しましたか Doko de kounyu shimashita ka?

Can your dog do any tricks?

何か芸はできますか Nanika gei wa dekimasu ka?

Who is your veterinarian?

どこの動物病院に行ってますか

Doko no doubut-subyouin ni ittemasu ka?

海外生活日記

What’s it like living in... The Netherlands?

Dutch-Japanese bilingual communicator

Saki Nagayama says: “Having lived in the

Netherlands for 26 years or so, I think

there is still much more to learn and I

enjoy every aspect of life here.”

KS asked all about it.

オランダで何をしていますか。オランダ文学の翻訳や、福祉関係などの通訳をしています。オランダのおもしろいことを日本の人とも共有できること、本を多くの人に読んでもらえることは大きな喜びです。

オランダに住むきっかけ二十歳の頃、父と参加したスペイン・ポルトガルツアー旅行の経由地がアムステルダムでした。過ごしやすい国だな、という好印象を受け、帰国後オランダ語を習いはじめました。それから一人旅をして今度は留学したくなったんです。オランダ政府の奨学金を得て、修士号を取得後、オランダに住み続けています。

普段何語を話しますか。オランダ語。日本人の夫とは日本語も話します。息子はバイリンガルに育ちました。日本語のおしゃべりも好きですがオランダ語の場合は脳の別の部分を使っている感じがして、気持ちがよくてハイになります（笑）。オランダ語の従属節では、動詞が文末に来るので、話しているうちに主語が何だったか忘れてしまうことがあります。ＴＶに出ているネイティブですら間違うこともあるくらい。住み始めて２６年ほどたちますが、オランダの人々と触れ合い日々新しい表現を覚えていくのは楽しいです。

住んでみて感じたカルチャーショックオランダ人はサッカーのＰＫ戦など、いざという時のプレッシャーに弱い人が多いように感じます。「頑張る」という感覚に馴染みのない人が多い。日本の小学６年にあたるグループ８では、全国一斉試験がありますが、前日や試験期間中に親や先生は、子どもたちがリラックスできるようにお茶やお菓子を用意します。ピリッとした気持ちではなくて、なるべくリラックスした状態で臨む――日本と正反対で驚きました。日本では追い詰められるような緊張感もありますが、オランダはリラックスしすぎかもしれません。その中間がちょうどいいのにな、と感じます。

オランダ、季節の楽しみ方チューリップの見ごろは4～5月ですが観光シーズンで混みます。夏は10時半位まで明るく、日本のように蒸し暑くないので、運河沿いにあるカフェのテラスでくつろいだり、散策するのはおすすめ。寒い冬にはエルテンスープ（エンドウ豆のスープ）や燻製ソーセージと食べるスタンポット（ケ―ルやエンダイブ、ザワークラウトなどを混ぜたマッシュポテト）がおいしいです。運河が凍ると、スケートもできますよ。

Follow Saki at: 長山さきのオランダ日記 http://orandanikk.exblog.jp/

Interview by Sarasa Kitano


Artist profile

Forget Picasso, here’s Pet-cassoThis month’s cover artist Ryan Parker is no wizard, but he sure works magic on a dull pet portrait.Text: KS • Images: Ryan Parker

Toto, we’re not in Kansai any more. Just as Dorothy’s world was turned upside-down and into technicolour in Oz, so Ryan Parker takes a traditional nicely-pencilled pet portrait and spins it into something… quite extraordinary.

A stern-looking black cat clad in a kimono holds its paws on its knees regally against a shrine backdrop. In another picture, a slightly startled looking small black dog is wearing F1 driver laurel leaves with his winning red sporty number parked in the background. Then - is this for real? - a dog appears among fluffy clouds in a Christ-like pose, with its owners playing cherubic harps on either side of its head.

It’s for real. It was a recent com-mission for Ryan’s Pet Portraits series, something he’s been spending a lot of time on recently. “I absolutely love making interesting, sometimes border-ing on absurd, compositions with the furry loves of people’s lives,” Ryan says. “I’ve always been into art history, so I’ve experimented with a lot of styles and themes over the years, delving into things like surrealism and cubism to try to understand them. The animal illustrations take me a few days... plus around 30 years of experience.”

If you’ve ever dreamed of turning your pet into a Christ-like figure, or indeed anything else, you’ll have to commission the artist online now as he’s recently left Japan to return to his U.S. hometown.

“I grew up in Arizona, but didn’t fully appreciate the desert until after I left. I was always the kid with drawing pads and Legos in my hands instead of TV remotes. I knew I wanted to be an artist since I was a wee lad,” he says. After getting a degree in illustration in design, and working as a designer and art director, Ryan needed a change of scene. An opportunity to teach popped up thanks to the Phoenix Sister Cities programme - an ALT job in Himeji. He lived, worked and studied there for the last four years.

“I found a great community of friends, and I always liked finding independent cafes in the side streets to hang out at and practice Japanese. The incredibly long history of Himeji and most of Japan always impressed me too, and I loved seeing it in the old buildings, the calligraphy, and other visual art.”

Creatively influenced by Tandanori Yokoo’s wildly colourful posters, Ryan describes his own style as imaginative nonfiction. His website features not just the Pet Portraits, but also a slightly more typical graphic design and illus-tration portfolio: see his spin on wed-ding invites, logos and video art direc-tion. On a more personal level, there’s also his blog about living in Japan (featuring the amusing ‘Whitey learn-ing Japanese’ cartoon, which this gaijin writer can definitely identify with) and as a bonus, his yearly ‘best of ’ music mixes that you can download.

You’re missing a trick if you don’t click on the Pet Portraits though (look out for the one with Yoda in the corner). If you’ve got a pet and a sense of humor, Ryan’s clearly the man to im-mortalize your furry, scaly or feathery friend.

Facebook: idrawgood ArtTwitter: @idrawgoodartWebsite: idrawgoodart.com


Film

Two halves make a wholeA new documentary film explores what it’s really like to be mixed-race in Japan.Text: Sally McLaren • Photos: Courtesy of hafufilm.com

Multiculturalism isn’t a word that’s synonymous with Japan, but accord-ing to filmmakers Megumi Nishi-kura and Lara Perez Takagi, Japanese society is considerably more diverse than it appears. This is what they have established from a three-year project making Hafu: the mixed-race experi-ence in Japan, a documentary film about the lives of “hafu”—the children of Japanese and non-Japanese parents. The Japanese term ハーフ (hafu) is con-troversial—it’s sometimes seen as hav-ing negative connotations of incom-pleteness or impurity. But according to the Hafu film website, the term is now the most common and preferred term of self-definition by people who are half-Japanese.

Hafu begins with a surprising sta-tistic—one in 49 babies born in Japan today have a non-Japanese parent. “Japan needs to start looking into this growing change and accepting the fact that there are more multicultural and multiracial individuals in society,” says Takagi, who has a Japanese father and a Spanish mother. Nishikura, who was born to an American mother and a Japanese father, says it is shocking how little awareness there is in Japan about hafu. “We are part of Japan but go largely unrecognized.”

The film features five hafu: David (Ghanaian mother), Fusae (Korean father), Sophia (Australian mother), Alex (Mexican mother) and Ed (Venezuelan father). They reveal their diverse personal stories in their own words, and the audience is given an

insight into issues of family, language and identity over a period of time.

While the film is unafraid of show-ing the challenges of being half-Japa-nese, it doesn’t dwell on the bullying and discrimination, for example, that many hafu have to endure in Japan. Overall, Hafu gives a positive portrayal of the multi-racial experience and how individuals find ways to transcend social limitations. The characters’ reflections tend to be thoughtful and without bitterness. When Sophia moves to Tokyo and doesn’t become fluent in Japanese or make Japanese friends as quickly as she had hoped, she says “I’m less a part of Japan than Japan is part of me.” Then there’s David who speaks Japanese fluently and has to constantly explain his background. His friends often comment that it must be hard having to introduce yourself a thousand times a year, but David says he doesn’t mind. “If it helps for the next time that person meets a hafu then it’s worth it.”

Clearly, being half-black or half-white has very different implications. However, the film doesn’t engage with racial politics in Japan. Takagi says that they decided to take a neutral standpoint and not frame the experi-ence politically. “We wanted to respect everyone who took part, let the audi-ence make their own reflections and open up a dialogue about the future of Japan.” For Nishikura, multiculturalism is “something wonderful that should be embraced rather than feared.” And Hafu certainly sets the tone for starting

the conversation that needs to happen in Japan soon.

The film has been well received in Japan—its Tokyo run was extended by ten weeks—as well as overseas, where it has been screened to full houses at many film festivals. Hafu’s Kansai run begins in Osaka this month, and in Kyoto soon after. Check the website for details.

Hafu87 minutes. Directed, produced and filmed by Megumi Nishikura and Lara Perez Takagi. Japanese and English with corresponding subtitles.hafufilm.com

Where: • Osaka: Cinema Nanagei

Theater. Feb 8–14 daily at 6:45pm and Feb 15–21 daily at 8:30pm • www.nanagei.com

• Kyoto: Minami Kaikan in April. Dates and Times TBA

24 Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do

Film previews

The Hobbit: The Desolation of SmaugPeter Jackson, Fantasy/Action, 161 mins

Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch

It is hard to imagine that Peter Jackson first brought Tolkien’s universe to life 13 years ago, as in many respects it still feels fresh and crisp; the fantastical characters seem believable and the world vast and populated. There is no doubt that Jackson is at home in Middle Earth, and we have all grown to love the world he weaves, from dank caves to breathtaking vistas…but like a pair of old shoes that fit just right, there’s no hiding the wear and tear that comes from overuse, and for the first time in his Middle Earth adventures, this film feels like a “middle” film, a stepping stone from the first Hobbit to the last.

Whereas the original trilogy had a wealth of content to draw inspiration from, to such an extent characters had to be omitted (not counting the DVD extras), The Hobbit trilogy is all coming from a single book, and not the world’s longest book by any stretch of the imagination. Amongst the padding, a masterstroke of Jack-son’s was pumping up the role of Tauriel, as Evangeline Lilly not only does a great job, but adds a little feminine charm to the mainly male proceedings.

Cumberbatch kills as Smaug, who wades through his treasure with slithery ease, rolling out deep, dulcet tones that send a chill down your spine and slap a smile on your face. Freeman is the perfect Bilbo, as he was the perfect Arthur Dent, our eve-ryday-man-turned-hero whimpering behind cover while building up the courage for true death-defying action. Richard Armitage has more room to make Thorin a true leader, but the other dwarves are all but interchangeable, so any danger they face won’t so much have you sitting on the edge of your seat in suspense, but scratching your head in confusion as you try and figure out who is actually in peril.

Feb 28

©2013 MVLFFLLC. TM & © 2013 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

Thor: The Dark WorldAlan Taylor, 112 mins, Action,Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Eccleston With the origin story nicely wrapped up, newcomer Alan Taylor can pack in more action than the first Thor, and he does so while giving Portman a little more to do, but the screen is still dominated by Loki’s presence.

©2013 RUSH FILMS LIMITED/EGOLITOSSELL FILM AND ACTION IMAGE.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

RushRon Howard, 123 mins, Biography/RacingChris Hemsworth, Daniel BruhlEven for non-F1 fans, Rush is a great emotional rollercoaster of the turbulent relationship between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. That being said, the race scenes are stand-out-amazing.

©2013 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS All Rights Reserved.

Kick Ass 2Jeff Wadlow, 103 mins, Action/ComedyAaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Mortez, Christopher Mintz-Plasses, Jim CarreyWhile the first movie had one foot plopped in the real world and the other paddling in absurdity, the sequel is disappointingly mediocre. Still fun and exciting, but without the original’s spark.

©2013,Butler Films,LLC.All Rights Reserved.

The Butler The Last StageLee Daniels, 132 mins, DramaForest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack Cecil Gaines is the black butler version of Forrest Gump, working for eight different presidents. He sees the world change around him, from times of war to civil uprising.

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Don’t forget you can find a list of local cinemas (and what’s playing) online at:

www.kansaiscene.com/cinemas/

25Kansai Scene Listings: Where to go & what to do

Cinema listings (selected theaters)

Osaka

Osaka Toho Cinemas Umeda• Tel: 06-6316-1312 • www.tohotheater.jp • Discounts: Weds (women), 1st & 14th of the month: ¥1,000, every day after 8pm: ¥1,200Now showing: Dakishimetai, Thor: The Dark World• From Feb 7: Rush, Snowpiercer• From Feb 8: Nisinoyukihiko no koitoboukenn• From Feb 15: Mogura no uta, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit• From Feb 22: KickAss 2, Kamen Teacher

Umeda Burg7• Tel: 06-4795-7602 • http://burg7.com • Discounts: Weds (women) 1st of the month: ¥1,000; every day after 8pm: ¥1,200Now showing: Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai, Thor: The Dark World• From Feb 8: Buddha2, Tiger & Bunny The Rising, The Love and Death of Kaoru Mitarai• From Feb 15: Hello! Junichi, Dear Girl~Stories~THE MOVIE2, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit• From Feb 22: Abyss of hyperspace, Kamen Teacher, Game Center CX• From Feb 28: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Umeda Garden Cinema• Tel: 06-6440-5977 • www.gardencinema.jp/umeda/• Discounts: Weds (women), 1st of the month: ¥1,000; every day after 8pm: ¥1,200Now showing: An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, Miracle in Cell No. 7• From Feb 8: Medianera• From Feb 15: Viaggio Sola• From Feb 22: Tie pohjoiseen

Cine Libre Umeda• Tel: 06-6440-5930 • www.ttcg.jp/cinelibre_umeda/• Discounts: Weds (women), 1st and 15th of the month: ¥1,000Now showing: New World• From Feb 8: Touch of the Light• From Feb 22: The Poker House

Theatre Umeda• Tel: 06-6359-1080 • www.ttcg.jp/theatre_umeda • Discounts: Weds (women), 1st of the month: ¥1,000Now showing: Killers• From Feb 15: Room 237• From Feb 22: Dallas Buyers Club

Osaka Station City Cinema• Tel: 06-6346-3215 • www.osakastationcitycinema.com• Discounts: Weds (women), 1st of the month: ¥1,000Now showing: Dakishimetai, Thor: The Dark World• From Feb 7: Rush• From Feb 8: Tiger & Bunny The Rising, Buddha2,• From Feb 14: The Immigrant• From Feb 15: The Butler, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit• From Feb 22: KickAss 2, Giovanni no shima• From Feb 28: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Nebraska

Toho Cinemas Namba• Tel: 06-6633-1040 • www.tohotheater.jp • Discounts: Weds (women), 1st and 14th of the month: ¥1,000; every day after 8pm: ¥1,200Now showing: Dakishimetai, Thor: The Dark World• From Feb 7: Rush, Snowpiercer• From Feb 8: Nisinoyukihiko no koitoboukenn• From Feb 15: Mogura no uta, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit• From Feb 22: KickAss 2, Kamen Teacher,• From Feb 28: Nebraska

Namba Parks Cinema• Tel: 06-6643-3215 • www.parkscinema.com • Discounts: Weds (women), 1st of the month: ¥1,000; every day after 8pm: ¥1,200Now showing: Thor: The Dark World, Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai,• From Feb 7: Rush• From Feb 8: Tiger & Bunny The Rising, Buddha2, The Great Passage• From Feb 15: The Butler, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Jeune & jolie• From Feb 22: Giovanni no shima, Game Center CX, KickAss 2• From Feb 28: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Cinem@rt• Tel: 06-6282-0815 • www.cinemart.co.jp/theater/shinsaibashi• Discounts: Mon (men) Weds (women), 1st and 25th of the month: ¥1,000Now showing: Miracle in Cell No. 7• From Feb 8: Touch of the Light,• From Feb 15: New World, Chikyu bouei miboujin, 7days Report• From Feb 22: The Trials of Cate McCall, Planet of Snail, Sing ‘O’ The Times

Kyoto

Movix Kyoto• Tel: 075-254-3215 • www.movix.co.jp • Discounts: Weds (women), 1st and 20th of the month: ¥1,000; every day after 8pm: ¥1,200Now showing: I’m so excited!, Only God Forgives, The Wolf of Wall Street• From Feb 7: Rush,• From Feb 8: Tiger & Bunny The Rising, Buddha2• From Feb 15: Mogura no uta, The Butler, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Jeune & jolie• From Feb 22: KickAss 2, Giovanni no shima• From Feb 28: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Kyoto Cinema• Tel: 075-353-4723 • www.kyotocinema.jp • Discounts: Weds (women), 1st of the month: ¥1,000Now showing: An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, Pietà, Silver Linings Playbook• From Feb 8: Touch of the Light, Soshite chichi ni naru, De rouille et d’os, Arrugas• From Feb 15: Romanzo di una strage, Un monde sans femmes, Holy Motors, The Place Beyond The Pines• From Feb 22: Taste the Waste, Beasts Of The Southern Wild, 3 Idiots

Toho Cinemas Nijo• Tel: 075-813-2410 • www.tohotheater.jp • Discounts: Weds (women), 1st and 14th of the month: ¥1,000; every day after 8pm: ¥1,200Now showing: Dakishimetai, Thor: The Dark World• From Feb 7: Rush, Snowpiercer• From Feb 8: Nisinoyukihiko no koitoboukenn• From Feb 14: The Immigrant• From Feb 15: Mogura no uta, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit• From Feb 22: KickAss 2, Kamen Teacher• From Feb 28: Nebraska

Kobe

Os Cinema Mint Kobe• Tel: 078-291-5330 • www.jollios.net • Discounts: Tues (women), 1st and 16th of the month: ¥1,000; every day after 8pm: ¥1,200Now showing: Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai, Dakishimetai, Thor: The Dark World, Bilocation• From Feb 7: Rush, Snowpiercer• From Feb 8: Nisinoyukihiko no koitoboukenn, Buddha2,

• From Feb 15: Mogura no uta, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit• From Feb 22: KickAss 2, Kamen Teacher• From Feb 28: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Kobe Kokusai Shochiku• Tel: 078-230-3580 • www.shochiku-eigakan.com• Discounts: Tues (women), 1st of the month: ¥1,000; every day after 8pm: ¥1,200Now showing: The Wolf of Wall Street, Chiisai Ouchi• From Feb 8: Tiger & Bunny The Rising• From Feb 15: The Butler• From Feb 22: Giovanni no shima

Os Cinema Kobe Harborland• Tel: 078-360-3788 • www.jollios.net • Discounts: Tues (women), 1st and 16th of the month: ¥1,000; every day after 8pm: ¥1,200Now showing: Dakishimetai, Thor: The Dark World, Bilocation• From Feb 7: Rush, Snowpiercer• From Feb 15: Mogura no uta, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit• From Feb 22: KickAss 2, Kamen Teacher• From Feb 28: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Cine Libre Kobe• Tel: 078-334-2126 • www.ttcg.jp/cinelibre_kobe• Discounts: Weds (women), 1st and 15th of the month: ¥1,000Now showing: Killers• From Feb 8: Touch of the Light• From Feb 14: The Immigrant• From Feb 15: Lore, Jeune & Jolie• From Feb 22: Dallas Buyers Club

Nara

Movix Kashihara• Tel: 0744-21-1700 • www.movix.co.jp• Discounts: Weds (women) Thurs (men), 1st and 20th of the month, 3rd Tue of the month: ¥1,000; every day after 8pm: ¥1,200Now showing: Dakishimetai, Kara no kyoukai Miraifukuin, Thor: The Dark World, Killers• From Feb 7: Rush• From Feb 8: Tiger & Bunny The Rising, Buddha2,• From Feb 15: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, The Butler, Mogura no uta• From Feb 22: Moratorium Tamako, PERSONA3 THE MOVIE# 1 Spring of Birth, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Note: for show times and ticket information, please contact the cinemas directly

KANSAI SCENE MAGAZINE | ISSUE #165 FEBRUARY 2014 | kansaiscene.com 21PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

The game of loveCharge your roses, Romeos of Kansai, the season of love has rolled around. And for all those gents waiting to find a perfect match, never fear, the good people of Exeo International are here to help.Text: KS

There’s no denying Exeo knows a thing or two about love. Every year, Japan’s most successful speed dating company holds over 20,000 events across the country, bringing over 400,000 men and women together for a chance at true love. And it’s not just for locals. The Exeo International branch is spe-cifically designed for foreign men and Japanese women to meet over the fun, 3-minute date format.

But love can be a damn tricky thing. So, in honour of St Valentine’s Day, we asked the Executive Manager of Exeo International, Simon Chapman, what he’s learned from almost four years in the business. Consider this field guide as our gift to you, our fine gentlemen readers. So what are you waiting for? Get speed dating.

At the party

Do:… be polite. Manners impress the ladies, and likewise bad manners give a negative impression. But it’s not enough to just be courteous to them. If you move slowly and ignore the guy waiting next to you, or talk loudly while the host is trying to explain something, the women may notice, and it will count against you if they do.

… act naturally. The most popular men are always the guys who are relaxed and fun. Just come to enjoy

yourself, without expecting to get too much out of it.

… make an effort to look and smell good. There’s no need to wear a suit or anything, but don’t turn up look-ing like a homeless person either. A collared shirt is always a good idea, and a dash of aftershave wouldn’t go amiss, especially in summer. Try to have a breath mint or brush your teeth beforehand too.

Don’t:… have too many drinks beforehand. Drunk men is one of the most com-mon complaints we get from women. Most of the women are there to find someone for a serious relationship, and they expect that the men are there for the same reason.

… go gung-ho for one woman. Rather than being flattered, women are likely to consider you a bit desperate if you devote too much of your attention to them. Spend time thinking about your second, third and fourth choices, and go speak to them.

… judge the women solely on looks. Being a man, this is very easy to do, especially since you have such a short time to talk. Spend a bit more time talking to each lady, you might find you get on really well. Think with your head, not with your… you know.

When it’s over

Do:… what she wants. You should take the initiative, and make suggestions, but don’t push her towards anything she doesn’t seem eager to do. Many women won’t want to go out immedi-ately after the event, either because it’s late, or because they’re a little intimi-dated. Let her do what she wants, and that will increase the chances of her agreeing to meet you in future.

Don’t:… pester her. The day after you part, send her a nice email, saying some-thing along the lines of “It was great to meet you, I look forward to seeing you again.” Don’t immediately ask her if she’s free to meet again. If she doesn’t reply, give her a week and then email again asking how she is. If she doesn’t reply to that then move on. Bombard-ing a girl with emails is never going to be a good thing to do.

To find an Exeo speed dating party in

Kansai, visit: exeo-international.com

Provided by Tourism Section Nara Municipal Office


Shikayose – Herding deer with Beethoven鹿寄せFREE Tobihino in Nara Park

Beethoven isn’t just for classical music aficionados. Here in Nara, it helps bring wild deer to order for an acorn snack. The Shikayose event is held on a crisp cold morning in Nara Park. A French hornist plays a verse of the Pastoral Symphony (Beethoven’s Symphony No 6) and wild deer suddenly appear as if from nowhere. See how tame and well-behaved these animals are as they form a line to march to the horn player. It’s such an unusual sight that members of the Imperial Family have even come by in the past to watch it.

Time: 10am (Closed Mondays) • Admission: free • Access:

JR / Kintetsu Railway Nara stn bus to Kasugataisha

Omotesando • Tel: 0742-22-2388 • naradeer.com/events

Event pickupsFeb 1–Mar 16

Religious Mime Ceremonyおんだ祭りFREE Asukaniimasu-Jinja Shrine, Nara

An extraordinary religious ceremony takes place for a bumper har-vest and being blessed with children at this ancient shrine. Located in the Japanese spiritual home of Asuka village, this shrine houses Yin and Yang stones as deities, and holds the festival annually. But be careful where you stand. Villagers wearing funny masks and costumes will perform a comical play that depicts the sexual activity of a married couple. If an actor from the play hits your bottom with his bamboo stick, you may be blessed with children.

Time: 11:30 am • Admission: free • Access: Kintetsu Railway Kashihara

Jingu –mae stn bus to Asuka Daibutsu-mae; 5 min walk • www2.ocn.

ne.jp/~jinj

Feb 2


Flaming Torch Procession御燈祭りFREE Kamikura-Jinja Shrine, Wakayama

One of the greatest fire festivals in Japan, Otou Matsuri takes place in the middle of winter in Shingu City, Wakayama. Witness the astonishing scene of thousands of men in white, dashing down steep stairs while holding flaming torches. This is a vigorous purification ritual with a 1,400-year his-tory. Around 8pm, nearly 2,000 powerful men called agariko will set off from the top of the deity, Mt Kamikura, and run speedily down 538 stone stairs. Looking like flames pouring out, the procession is called “fire dragon” by the locals. It attracts many tourists every year.

Admission: free • Access: JR Kinokuni line Shingu stn; 20 min

walk Tel: 0735-23-3357 • www.city.shingu.lg.jp/forms/info/info.

aspx?info_id=18836

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The 10th Anniversary of Mt Rokko Ice Sculpture Festival第10回六甲山氷の祭典Rokko Garden Terrace,

Hyogo

If you can’t make it up to Hokkaido for the grand Sapporo Snow Festival, fret not. Kansai has its own ice-carved delights at the Mt Rokko Ice Sculpture Festival. Started 10 years ago, this delight-ful annual festival takes place to comfort and hearten victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. This year for its 10th anniversary, it will be even bigger and better than before. Top ranking ice sculptors will create heart-warming pieces of frosty art with the theme of commemorating the Great Hanshin and more recent Tohoku Earthquake. See beautifully illuminated ice works in the evening, and take part in a workshop to learn the basic techniques of ice sculpting. There will also be play areas for children and some hot food and drink to warm you up.

Time 9:30am–8:30pm (3pm–8:30pm on the 20th) • Admission:

¥500 adults, concessions • rokkosan.com/event/20131125_5724

Kameraoke – Art should be shared第10回六甲山氷の祭典Pinebrooklyn Gallery, Osaka

The 2014 edition of Kameraoke invites photographers to share a day in their Kansai lives - morning, afternoon, even-ing and night. Come to Pinebrooklyn Gallery for a visual journey through our daily lives, meet the photographers, vote on your favourite shots and enjoy the fun at Japan’s funkiest community art event. Amazing photos, a rooftop café, great music and a few surprises await. See you there!.

Time: 1pm–9pm (winners announced at 8:30pm)

• Admission: ¥1,000 • kameraoke.com

Feb 23

Feb 8–14


February

Provided by Biwako Visitors Bureau

Plum Bonsai Exhibition 長浜盆梅FREE Keiun-Kan, Shiga

Until Mar 10Colourful pots of seasonal plum trees creating a heady perfume are set in a traditional Japanese house.Admission: ¥500 adults, concessions • kitabiwako.jp/bonbai

Special Orchid Exhibition 2014 特別展淡路夢舞台蘭展2014Awaji Yumebutai Kiseki no Hoshi Greenhouse, HyogoUntil Mar 9This ever-popular orchid exhibition features over 20,000 pots of exotic blooms, surrounding visitors with colour and fragrance.Admission: ¥1,500 adults, concessions • www.kisekinohoshi.jp/exhibition/archives/4281

Salon Du Chocolat サロンドショコラFREE JR Osaka Mitsukoshi Isetan &

JR Kyoto IsetanUntil Feb 14A worldwide event celebrating chocolate will take place at Isetan department store in Osaka and Kyoto. Expect a large exhibition, chef demonstrations, sampling and many more delicious events.Admission: free • salon-du-chocolat.jp

One World Festival ワンワールドFREE Osaka International House

Foundation, OsakaFeb 1–2A two-day festival of international cooperation featuring NGOs and Government institutions working for international assistance. Enjoy ethnic food stalls, world dance performances and many other attractions. • Admission: free • interpeople.or.jp/owf

Valentine “Chocolate Paradise 2014” バレンタイン「チョコレートパラダイス2014」FREE Sogo Kobe, Hyogo

Until Feb 14An annual grand chocolate fair will take place on the 9th floor of Kobe’s Sogo department store. It features especially sumptuous, elegant and romantic chocolates. • Admission: free • www2.sogo-gogo.com/usrinfo

Bean Throwing Ceremony 節分祭と豆撒き神事FREE Ikuta Shrine, Hyogo

Feb 3A major bean-throwing ceremony takes place here. Cyndi Lauper took part in the ceremony in 1996, so you never know which celebrity might attend this year! • Admission: free • www.ikutajinja.or.jp

The Female Soccer Biwako Cup 第3回びわ湖カップなでしこサッカー大会FREE Kibogaoka Bunka Park, Shiga

Feb 8 & 9About 32 teams of girls all under 12 years old will compete for the glory and the cup. • Admission: free • www.shiga-bunshin.or.jp/kibougaoka/event/6659.html

Memorial Service for Needles 針供養FREE Horinji Temple, Kyoto

Feb 8Needles that become useless are brought to Horinji and thanked for their work at this ceremony.Admission: free • www2.ocn.ne.jp/~horinji

World Hobby Fair ’14 次世代ワールドホビーフェア‘14FREE Kyocera Dome Osaka, Osaka

Feb 9One of the largest showcases of video games, cutting-edge toys and trendy arcade machines in Japan; visitors can try these newest toys and machines as much as they like for free. • Admission: free • whobby.com

Sand Fight Ceremony 砂かけ祭りFREE Hirose Shrine, Nara

Feb 11

A highly unique ceremony where a fierce sand fight takes place between shrine staff and visitors; it is believed that the harder they fight, the more blessed rain will fall. Make sure you put your camera or phone safely in plastic, because the sand really gets everywhere. • Time: 2pm • A dmission: free • Access: JR Yamatoji line Horyuji stn; 20 min walk • Tel: 0745-56-2065

Minato Festival 水門祭りFREE Minato Shrine, Wakayama

Feb 11A centuries-old religious festival with ceremonial events including an exciting lion dance, a solemun matoi Japanese archery, a competitive Kaidenma boat race and more. • Admission: free • Access: JR Kinokuni line Kushimoto stn bus to Oshimako • Tel: 0735-62-3171

Osaka Automesse 2014 大阪オートメッセ　2014Intex Osaka, OsakaFeb 14–16One of the largest motor shows in Japan focusing on car modification, tuning and customising with a variety of stage shows and other attractions, including an amusement zone for children.Admission: ¥2,000 adults (¥2,500 at door), concessions • automesse.jp

Stair Running 第17回 JR京都駅ビル「大階段駆け上がり大会」FREE JR Kyoto Station, Kyoto

Feb 15A fiercely competitive race that sees around 320 entrants run up the 171 stairs of JR Kyoto station building.Admission: free • www.kbs-kyoto.co.jp/contents/information/2013/info_031474.htm

Girls’ Day にんげん雛まつりOmi Shonin Yashiki, ShigaFeb 15 & 16

Real human hina dolls will appear and serve special drinks and sweets for visitors. • Admission: ¥600 Access: JR Biwako line Notogawa stn bus to Plaza Sanpoyoshi • Tel: 0748-48-2100

Japanese Cuisine Exhibition 京の味ごちそう展FREE Kyoto Takashimaya

Department Store, KyotoFeb 19–25As Japanese cuisine has been featured on the UNESCO World Heritage list, some of the most visually stunning Kyoto dishes will be on display at the 7th floor of Kyoto Takashimaya. • Admission: free • takashimaya.co.jp/kyoto

Plum Blossom Festival 梅花祭FREE Kitano Tenmangu Shrine,

Kyoto • Feb 25An opportunity to meet real Kyoto geisha as they perform a special open-air tea ceremony in the shrine grounds. • Admission: free to observe (¥1,000 for tea ceremony) • kitanotenmangu.or.jp

Provided by Biwako Visitors Bureau

Firewalking 火渡り神事FREE Sugawara Shrine, Shiga

Feb 25An extreme ritual where you can walk across a three meter-long burning patch; the first 130 visitors can participate for ¥1,500. • Time: 10am • Admission: free to observe • Access: JR Biwako line Yasu stn bus to Ebe; 7 min walk • Tel: 077-587-2003

Event listings

Find more listings online:www.kansaiscene.com/listings


Art

Andreas GurskyThe National Museum of Art, Osaka

Internationally acclaimed photographer Andreas Gursky produces huge, panoramic images that put photography on an equal footing with the heroically scaled painting of the Abstract Expressionists and color field painters. Gursky has the distinction of fetching the highest price ever for a photograph, and has been widely known overseas for over a decade, but this is his first solo exhibition in Japan. The retrospective ranges from his early work (he studied under Bernd and Hilla Becher, known for loving documentation of in-dustrial machinery and architecture) to well-known photographs such as 99 Cent and Pyongyang. These enormous images are in crisp focus from background to foreground, freezing the dizzy-ing blur of contemporary life and letting us see it as the naked eye never could. At sizes of up to three meters they engulf the viewer, and are not only visually overwhelming and enthralling, but also confront us with the realities of a consumer machine in which we are all just tiny cogs.

Feb 2–May 11 • Complex, often grandly scaled photos depicting the

high-tech consumer society of the 21st century • Open: 10am–5pm

(until 7pm on Fri) • closed Mon (when Mon is a national holiday,

open Mon and closed Tue) • Admission: Varies • Access: Keihan

Nakanoshima line Watanabebashi Stn • nmao.go.jp

Osaka

©Keigo Kamide Turban Shell in Sea of Ink(‘“The Earthly Paradise” vol.3 Keigo Kamide’ gallery αM, 2013, photo:Keigo Kamide)

Keigo Kamide: Quiet StormFREE Yoshimi Arts

Jun 31–Feb 23Work by ceramicist whose past innovations have included hyperrealistic ghostly white bananas, intricate floral-patterned skulls, and teapots on wheels.

Open:11am–7pm • Admission: Free • Access: Subway Yotsubashi Line Higobashi Stn • yoshimiarts.com

Naho Kawabe/Jane Brucker: piece, pieceFREE Port Gallery T

Jan 25–Feb 16 Two-person show by photo/video/installation artists who both incorporate the decorative or the discarded into spiritual and reflective works.Open:12pm–7pm • Admission: Free • Access: Yotsubashi subway line, Higobashi Stn • portgalleryt.com

Matsui Akiko/Higashihata Takako: (almost) starting overFREE Adanda

Jan 18–Feb 23

Two artists who work in very different media (Matsui in realist black and white printmaking, Higashihata in modified readymades and objects) but share a focus on dislocations and deviations from everyday repetition.Open: 1pm–7pm, Fri, Sat and Sun only • Admission: Free • Access: Yotsubashi subway line, Suminoe Stn • adanda.jp

Kyoto

Ultra × AnteroomFREE Gallery 9.5, Hotel Anteroom

Kyoto • Feb 20–Mar 2Group show by 11 artists associated with the Ultra Factory sculpture workshop at Kyoto University of Art and Design, directed by Kenji Yanobe.

Open: 12pm–7pm • Admission: Free • Access: Karasuma subway line, Kujo Stn • hotel-anteroom.com

©Yusuke Kamata 鎌田友介｜D Structure Atlas｜2013｜Photo by Hajime Kato

Artist Draft 2014 Yusuke Kamata: D Construction Atlas Takahashi Kohei: Shi to shi to shi (History, Poetry, Self)FREE Kyoto Art Center

Feb 8–Mar 9

Art Listings ©

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Until May 11


The Collection: Gutai, Maturity and EpilogueAshiya City Museum of Art

and History

The Gutai Art Associa-tion was launched here in Ashiya in 1954, with leader Jiro Yoshihara giving his group a prime directive: to do things that no artist had done before. Gutai means something like “embodiment,” and the avant-garde group’s members produced works that often drew attention to the physicality of the materials and processes used, as well as staging performances and happenings even before the genre gained currency in the West. Over its 18-year history Gutai kept gaining members and grew increas-ingly radical in its innovations, remaining at the forefront of artistic experimentation in Japan. They reached perhaps the pinnacle of their fame with an exhibition at the extremely well-attended Osaka Expo in 1970 (over 64 million visitors in six months), disbanding in 1972 with the death of Yoshi-hara. Recently, Gutai has been enjoying renewed critical in-terest both in Japan and overseas, with a major retrospective at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York last year. The Ashiya show focuses on the group’s later years and the work produced by former members since its dissolution. Hurry, as it closes February 9.

Jan 11–Feb 9 • Open: 10am–5pm (Last entry 30 minutes before

closing) • closed Mon (when Mon is a national holiday, open Mon

and closed Tue) • Admission: ¥300 • Access: Hanshin line Ashiya

Stn to Midori-cho bus stop • ashiya-museum.jp

Prelude—William Kentridge: The Refusal of TimeAuditorium, Former

Rissei Elementary

School, Kyoto

As a pre-event one year before the inaugural Parasophia: Kyoto International Festival of Con-temporary Culture, to be held in 2015, a large-scale video installation by South African artist William Kentridge will be presented. Kentridge is known for scenes drawn in char-coal and pastel, which he erases, smears, and redraws and films with a movie camera. The result is video works that are masterfully rendered yet shot in an intentionally jerky and hand-made manner, looking less like animation than like drawings in motion.

Drawings, photographs, and other static works of visual art seek to freeze the flow of time, but time refuses to be stopped, while human beings are confined by time, but seek vainly to reject or transcend it. The Refusal of Time is an exploration of these primal and universal modern themes. The auditorium of an antiquated former elementary school in Kyoto promises to be a fascinating venue for the Asian debut of this new work.

Feb 8–Mar 16 • Asian premiere of South African artist William

Kentridge’s large-scale video installation The Refusal of Time

(2012), presented as a prelude to Parasophia: Kyoto International

Festival of Contemporary Culture 2015

Open:11am–7pm Closed: Wed • Admission: ¥500 • Access:

Hankyu Kawaramachi Stn • parasophia.jp

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Art Listings

Two artists selected out of over 150 in open-call selection by Kyoto Art Center. Artist Draft program presents work by talented young artists doing unprecedented things.Open: 10am–8pm • Admission: Free • Access: Karasuma subway line, Shijo Stn • kac.or.jp

Hyogo

Yokoo Tadanori: Showa Nippon—Repetition Propagation MetastasisYokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary ArtJun 25–Mar 30Yokoo presents his inimitable take on Japan prewar, postwar, and today, with a focus on the Showa period (1926-1989).

Open: 10am–6pm, until 8pm Fri and Sat • closed Mon (when Mon is a national holiday, open Mon and closed Tue) • Admission: ¥700 • Access: JR Nada Stn • ytmoca.jp

The Collection 2014: Convex-Concave/Disasters of WarItami City Museum of ArtJun 11–Mar 9Room 1: Honoré Daumier’s Don Quixote and Sancho Panza and other works incorporating convexity/concavity (or “bumpiness”) in material, visual effect, motif, etc. Room 2: 80 first-edition prints from Francisco de Goya’s great series The Disasters of War.Open: 10am–6pm • closed Mon (when Mon is a national holiday, open Mon and closed Tue) • Admission: ¥300 • Access: JR

Takarazuka line Itami Stn • artmuseum-itami.jp

Yosuke Yamauchi: New Open AreaFREE Kobe Art Village Center

Jan 25–Feb 9The artist’s fictional plan for redevelopment of the Shinkaichi area where the venue is located (New Open Area being a literal translation of “Shinkaichi”).Open: 12pm–7pm • Admission: Free • Access: Kobe-Kosoku Shinkaichi stn • kavc.or.jp

Shiga

“ing” #10: Artists with Disabilities in the

Present Continuous TenseBorderless Art Museum NO-MADec 21–Feb 23The emotive expressions and worldviews of Art Brut creators residing at facilities in Shiga Prefecture, in exhibition series co-organized by the museum and various facilities.Open: 11am–5pm • Closed Mon • Admission: ¥200 • Access: Omi Tetsudo Bus Osugimachi bus stop from JR Omi-Hachiman Stn • no-ma.jp

Find more listings online: kansaiscene.com/listings

Until Mar 16Until Feb 9

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Alter BridgeFormed in 2004 and fronted by guitarist/vocalist Myles Kennedy (who also fronts ex-Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash’s current solo project) Alter Bridge celebrate their 10th anniversary with the release of a box set titled Alter Bridge X. The commemorative set includes all four of their studio albums, two concert films, exclusive interviews, music videos, previously unreleased songs, an autographed poster and a book about the band’s history. Sounds good? Better be sharp as there are only 3,000 copies going available.

Characterized as heavy but melodic, the music and lyrics of last year’s ABIII album was much darker in sound and theme. As for the band’s ethos towards what they are all about: “We’re definitely a live band,” states Kenny. “We make records so we can go out and play for people.”American rock band featuring Miles Kennedy • Club Quattro, Osaka

Rock • 7pm • ¥6,500 • Tel: 06-6311-8111

Feb/Mar

Rock & Pop

Let’s ZeppelinLed Zeppelin cover band with Jimmy Sakurai.Chicken George, KobeFeb 1 • Chicken George, KobeRock • 6pm • ¥2,500 • Tel: 078-332-0146

Sounders vol.29 ft. Mark Dodds with the Poorboy Ensemble/Mt. Pajamand/Ally MobbsAn eclectic mix of up and coming DJs plus live electronic music UrBANGUILD, KyotoFeb 1 • Electronic •7.30pm • ¥2,300 • urbanguild.net

Obey City + Seiho Japan Tour OsakaHip-hop,R&B, post dubstep combined by Astro Nautico co-founderCircus, OsakaFeb 7 • Electronic • 7.30pm • ¥3,000 • innitmusic.com

Boom Boom SatellitesJapanese electronic rock duoClub Quattro, OsakaFeb 13 • Rock • 7:30pm • ¥4,800 • Tel: 06-6535-5569

MihiroJ-pop singer-actress-modelNamba Hatch, OsakaFeb 14 • Pop • 7pm • ¥5,250/¥5,800 • Tel: 06-7732-8888

Gargoyle @ Chicken George

GargoyleJapanese visual kei rock genre bandChicken George, KobeFeb 15 • Rock • 6:30pm • ¥4,500 • Tel: 078-332-0146

Tiina KariinaJapanese pop singer-songwriter from OsakaBillboard Live Osaka, OsakaFeb 15 • Pop • 4:30pm/8pm • ¥4,500/¥6,000 • Tel: 06-6342-7722

Ski-HiUS modern funk bandNamba Hatch, OsakaFeb 15 • Funk • 6pm • ¥4,200 • Tel: 06-6341-3525

GranrodeoJapanese rock duo specializing in anime themes

Osaka Jo Hall, OsakaFeb 16 • Rock • 6pm • ¥7,980 • Tel: 06-7732-8888

Alter BridgeAmerican rock band featuring Miles KennedyClub Quattro, OsakaFeb 19 • Rock • 7pm • ¥6,500 • Tel: 06-6311-8111

Olly MursBritish singer-songwriter and TV presenterClub Quattro, OsakaFeb 20 • Singer-songwriter • 7pm • ¥5,800 • Tel: 06-6311-8111

LM.cJapanese visual kei rock and electronic rockMuse, KotoFeb 20 • Rock • 7pm • ¥4,800/¥5,500 • Tel: 075-223-0389

Kinoco Hotel and Shonen KnifeDouble headline girl rock bands of retro rock and pop punkJanus, OsakaFeb 21 • Rock • 7pm • ¥2,800/¥3,000 • Tel: 06-6214-7255

TrixCasiopea and T-Square members in power fusion comboRag, KyotoFeb 22 • Fusion • 7:30pm • ¥4,400/¥5,500 • Tel: 075-241-0446

Magical Mistakes/Shex/Ally MobbsLive beat-making, dubstep and electronic musiciansBar Cauliflower, OsakaFeb 22 • Electronic • 10pm • ¥1,500 • Tel:TBA

The Captains/Takagi Mahiko/Honey Makers @ Taku Taku

The Captains/Takagi Mahiko/Honey MakersA mix of group sounds, rockabilly, blues and popTaku Taku, KyotoFeb 23 • Rock-pop • 6pm • ¥2,800/¥3,500 • Tel: 075-351-1321

Karla Bonoff & J.D. SoutherAOR U.S. singer-songwriters- guitaristBillboard Live Osaka, OsakaFeb 24-25 • AOR • 6:30pm/9:30pm • ¥7,900/¥9,400 • Tel: 06-6342-7722

Hasegawa KenichiKyoto singer-songwriter-guitaristTaku Taku, Kyoto

Live MusicFeb 19

Live Music Listings

KSPick


Kinoco Hotel & Shonen KnifeIt’s a double headline of the new kids on the block, Kinoco Hotel, and Shonen Knife who you could say have already been around the block a few times.

Based around the group leader in Marianne Shinonome, Kinoco Hotel’s debut was the 2010 The Melancholy of Marianne. Musically it’s a mix of retro rock, ’60s cool, punk aggression and Japanese group sounds. Both visually and musically it’s a stunning package.

Shonen Knife was formed by only existing original member Naoko Yamano in Osaka in 1981. She is now joined by Ritsuko Taneda (since 2001) and Emi Morimoto (since 2011). The pop-punk trio released their 18th studio album just over a year ago, Pop Tunes, and after 30 years of rocking out Naoko and co show no signs of slowing down. Uncut described the band as: “Rocks like Motorhead, designed by Hanna Barbara.”

Double headline girl rock bands of retro

rock and pop punk • Janus, Osaka • Rock •

7pm • ¥2,800/¥3,000 • Tel: 06-6214-7255

Feb 21

Feb 26 • Singer-songwriter • 6:30pm • ¥3,000/¥3,500 • Tel: 075-351-1321

FoalsEnglish indie-rock band from OxfordClub Quattro, OsakaFeb 27 • Rock • 7pm • ¥6,300 • Tel: 06-6535-5569

May’nMay Nakabayashi j-pop anime theme artistZepp, OsakaMar 1 • Pop • 6pm • ¥4,600/¥5,100 • Tel: 06-6357-4400

White AshJapanese four-piece rock bandBig Cat, Osaka

Mar 1 • Rock • 6pm • ¥3,000 • Tel: 06-6882-1224

OldcodexJapanese punk rock groupZepp, OsakaMar 2 • Rock • 6pm • ¥5,500 • Tel: 06-6344-4506

Seamo @ Namba Hatch

SeamoJapanese hip-hop rapper Naoki Takada

Namba Hatch, OsakaMar 2 • Hip-hop • 5pm • ¥5,000 • Tel: 06-6341-3525

RinanaJapanese female guitar-vocalsVarit, KobeMar 2 • Rock-pop • 6:30pm• ¥2,500/¥3,000 • Tel: 078-392-6655

2pmSouth Korean idol boy bandOsaka Jo Hall, OsakaMar 4-6 • Pop • 7pm • ¥8,100/¥8,600 • Tel: 06-6344-3326

Bonobo’sJapanese dub band from OsakaJanus, OsakaMar 5 • Dub • 7:30pm • ¥3,700/¥4,200 • Tel: 06-6357-3666

Brain D HerozJapanese rock trioNeverland, NaraMar 6 • Rock • Time: TBA • ¥1,500/¥2,000 • Tel: 090-1142-1996

ZabadakReformed acoustic duo of Tomohiko Kira and Koko KomineRag, KyotoMar 7 • Acoustic • 7:30pm • ¥3,040/¥3,800 • Tel: 075-241-0446

Masaya MatsuuraMusician and games designer from OsakaTaku Taku, KyotoMar 7 • Pop-rock • 6pm • ¥4,000/¥7,000 • Tel: 075-351-1321

Hasegawa KenichiKyoto musician Hasegawa Kenichi celebrates the release of his new album My Favorite Things and is joined live at Taku Taku, Kyoto by Gotoh Masafumi of Asian Kung-Fu Generation.

Singer-songwriter Hasegawa’s songs are backed by his subtle but pleasing acoustic guitar playing. They are relax-ing, peaceful tunes from the 38-year-old Kyoto-born artist.

Gotoh Masafumi (who also performs on the album) appears with Hasegawa for this live performance and is known as the guitarist, vocalist and main song-writer of the popular indie rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation (though taking nothing away from Hasegawa’s musicianship and songwriting, Gotoh’s supporting appearance may draw an audience in itself).

Hasegawa Kenichi’s first release was in 2010, which was followed by the album 423 last spring.

IKyoto singer-songwriter-guitarist

• Taku Taku, Kyoto

Singer-songwriter • 6:30pm •

¥3,000/¥3,500 • Tel: 075-351-1321

Feb 26

FoalsBritish indie rock band Foals came onto the scene with the release of their 2008 album Antidotes, reaching num-ber 3 in the UK album charts.

Coming to Japan on the back of a successful US tour as part of a world joint, the band had a busy 2013 with the release in February of their third and latest album Holy Fire -the album exceeding their previous chart success by one place.

Foals were also awarded by Q Magazine Best Live Act along with Best Track (for the single “Inhaler”), and Readers Best album from NME.

Lead by frontman Yannis Phillip-pakis, the band have grown both musi-cally and commercially in a short few years. If a hint as to a band’s future can be gained from each album release, of Foals’ last album one reviewer wrote: “Holy Fire threatens greatness.”

English indie-rock band from Oxford

• Club Quattro, Osaka • Rock • 7pm

• ¥6,300 • Tel: 06-6535-5569

Feb 27


Michael Schenker’s Temple of RockThe guitarist with an early line-up of the German band The Scorpions, guitar god Michael Schenker found fame with UFO before embarking on various solo projects and collaborations. The word on the street now is that he’s back to his best.

Leading his latest project, Temple of Rock, the album Bridge the Gap was released in November last year. The band comprises recognizable names in the rock community: Doogie White (ex-Rainbow) on vocals, drummer Herman Rarebell (ex-Scorpions), bassist Francis Buchholz (ex-Scor-pions) and guitarist Wayne Findlay.

For classic fans, the new album is a gem of melodic rock with Schenker’s hard-rocking licks at the core of all 13 tracks. On the new album and project Schenker says: “There was a lot of energy flying about during the recording process. I had the same drive making the album as I had when I was 16. I’m back to where I was a long time ago and I love it.”Ex-UFO classic rock German guitarist • Namba Hatch, Osaka

• Rock • 7:30pm • ¥8,500/¥9,500 • Tel: 06-7732-8888

Jon LevyKyoto resident singer-songwriter-guitaristHowlin Bar, OsakaMar 8 • Singer-songwriter • Time:TBA • ¥1,500 • Tel: 06-4808-2212

Michael Schenker’s Temple of RockEx-UFO classic rock German guitaristNamba Hatch, OsakaMar 10 • Rock • 7:30pm • ¥8,500/¥9,500 • Tel: 06-7732-8888

NiacinTrio featuring Billy Sheehan, Dennis Chambers and John NovelloBillboard Live Osaka, OsakaMar 12 • Fusion • 6:30pm/9:30pm • ¥6,900/¥8,400 • Tel: 06-6342-7722

RadwimpsJapanese four-piece rock band from KanagawaNeverland, NaraMar 13 • Rock • 7pm • ¥4,500 • Tel: 090-1142-1996

Mix Speakers Inc.Japanese visual kei rock genre band formed 2006Muse, KyotoMar 15 • Rock • 5:30pm • ¥4,650/¥5,190 • Tel: 075-223-0389

Jazz & Blues

Hiroki KuritaOsaka blues singer-songwriter-guitaristLive spot Penguin, OsakaFeb 8 • Blues • 8pm • ¥1,500 • Tel: 0798-39-7815Yamashina 58, KyotoFeb 16 • Blues • Time:TBA • ¥TBA • Tel: 075-595-7784Cafe5HAN, OsakaFeb 22 • Blues • 7pm • ¥2,000 • Tel: 072-654-0306

Larry Carlton & David T. WalkerSmooth fusion jazz guitar of Carlton and funk jazz guitar from WalkerBillboard Live Osaka, OsakaFeb 20-23 • Jazz • 20th-21st 6:30pm & 9:30pm / 22nd 6pm & 9pm / 23rd 4:30pm & 8pm • ¥9,000/¥10,500 • Tel: 06-6342-7722

Pia-no-jaCInstrumental piano and cajon Japanese duoChicken George, KobeFeb 23 • Jazz-pop • 5pm • ¥5,000 • Tel: 078-332-0146

Eric ClaptonLegendary blues guitarist singerOsaka Jo Hall, OsakaFeb 26 • Blues • 6pm • ¥11,000/¥12,000 • Tel: 06-6341-4506

Takeshi Shibuya and Eiichi HayashiJazz piano and saxophone duoBlue Note, KyotoFeb 28 • Jazz • 8:30pm • ¥2,800/¥3,000 • Tel: 075-223-6398

Fried PrideJapanese jazz-pop acoustic vocal and guitar duoJanus, OsakaMar 7-8 • Jazz-pop • 7pm • ¥5,500/¥6,000 • Tel: 06-6214-7255

World & Classical

Il DivoMultinational pop opera vocal groupOsaka Jo Hall, OsakaMar 3 • Opera • 7pm• ¥10,000/¥13,000• Tel: 06-6341-4506

2 Cellos @ Zepp Osaka

2 CellosCroatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjeppan HauserZepp, OsakaMar 6 • Pop-classic • 7pm • ¥8,000 • Tel: 06-6341-4506

Find more listings online at: www.kansaiscene.com/listings

Mar 10

Bonobo’sNot to be mistaken for the British musician Bonobo, the Bonobo’s formed in Osaka in 2001 by Chun-ho Sai (gui-tar/vocals), Yasuyuki Sasaki (guitar), Natsuko Morimoto (bass), Bondo Tsuji (drums) and Izumi Matsui (percussion) released their first album Hover Hover in 2004. Their sixth album Hyper Folk will be released in March.

The band’s music, now based around the trio of Tsuji, Morimoto and Sai, is an upbeat mix of dub, ska and reggae with a smattering of electro-pop for good measure.The new album is actually released on the same day as this gig so expect a celebratory party atmosphere from the band and no doubt they’ll be showcasing new material from the album.

Japanese dub-reggae band from Osaka • Janus, Osaka

Dub-reggae • 7:30pm • ¥3,700/¥4,200 • Tel: 06-6357-3666

Mar 5


Club

CircusTetralogisticS - Tech Ammusement Park - N’30

Osaka’s leading techno party, TetralogisticS, will celebrate its 6th anniver-sary this month. Since its launch in 2008, the Tetra crew has been hosting over two dozen parties with top-notch international DJs/producers such as Loco Dice, Darren Emerson, Mathis Kaden, Luke Vibert, Dominik Eulburg, Nathan Fake, Alex Smoke to name a few. This year’s special anniversary bash features the Ukrainian techno princess, Nastia, as guest of honor. Nastia holds a residency at Moscow’s best underground techno club Arma17 and is host of Propaganda, a legendary show on the Ukraine’s Kiss FM radio station. In addition to her good looks (she was once known as DJ Beauty), she plays pumping, funky techno that will keep your feet moving. It’s little wonder that she is now considered one of the most charismatic female DJs in the world. Checkout her out on SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/nastia_ua

TetralogisticS - Tech Ammusement Park - N’30 (Techno) • DJs: Nastia, Kunimitsu,

Yasuhisa, Doiike, MaSataka • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D (ADV: ¥2,500/1D)

• Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

February

1 (Sat)

CircusOneman First Japan Tour (Dubstep/Drum’n’Bass) • DJs: Oneman, Chaki Zulu, Hiroshi aka FU1, Ce$, sou, Eyez • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D (ADV: ¥2,500/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

OnziemeBlue Windy Night feat. Hyper:Society x The Block.Party (House/Electro) • DJs: Verbal, Tomoyuki Tanaka, Taku Takahashi, Taku-Hero, Hagy, Urban Reserch DJs + more • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D (ADV: ¥1,500) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6243-0089 • onzi-eme.com

Seven LoungeAbsolute Lounge (Dance music) • DJs: Shine, Dan Elliot, Mitsuyas, Abe-c, Atta, Mamoru Hamada • Open: 10pm • Admission: Gentlemen: ¥2,500/1D, Ladies: ¥Free • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6120-2277 • 1-16-20 Shinsaibashi Stagia 1F, Higashi Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka City

Troop CafeDiatonik (House/Techno) • DJs: Ogawa, Tatsuo.Y, 2Nyan, Fukumura, Mariko, Nah, Ina, Aya • Open: TBA • Admission: TBA • Where: Kobe • Tel: 078-321-3130 • troopcafe.tumblr.com

2 (Sun)

CircusQube TV presents Cassy (Techno) • DJs: Cassy, Shingo, Ono • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D (ADV: ¥2,500/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

OnziemeRiot (Hip-hop/All mix) • DJs: Jun, K, Bond, Dai • Open: 9pm • Admission: Gentlemen: ¥2,500/1D, Ladies: ¥600/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6243-0089 • onzi-eme.com

6 (Thu)

OnziemeTribe meets Shingo Nishinari - 1st Anniversary Special supported by Stussy (Hip-hop/R&B, Reggae) • Live: Shingo Nishinari, Kai-King + more • DJs:

Manavin, 2 Shan, Jinno, Tatsu, Inga, K + more • Open: 9pm • Admission: Gentlemen: ¥2,000/1D, Ladies: ¥Free • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6243-0089 • onzi-eme.com

7 (Fri)

CircusObey City + Seiho Japan Tour (Techno/House) • DJs: Obey City, Seiho, Terror Fingers, And Vice Versa + Aspara, Magical Mistakes + more • Open: 7:30pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D (ADV: ¥2,500/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

MetroUndermine - 7 Anniversary - Day1 (Techno/House) • Live: Kaito aka Hiroshi Watanabe, Nick Domjancic • DJs: Compufunk, Ryoma Sasaki, Fulltono, Tatsuya, Koizumi, Atari • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥2,500/1D • Tel: 075-752-2787 • metro.ne.jp

8 (Sat)

CircusMarc Antona supported by Outdraw (Techno) • DJs: Marc Antona, Hito, Masanori Mikami,

Synya, Fumi • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D (ADV: ¥2,500/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

El CoyoteTreks #11 - Into The Wildness (Techno/House) • DJs: Takatsugu Wada, K-Suke, Ba-Ronda aka MaSato.M & Jima, Deejysta, Syoji, dsk • Open: 10:30pm • Admission: ¥2,500/1D • Where: Kyoto • treks-jp.weebly.com

End.Animaze (Techno/House) • DJs: Tomoyuki Tateno, Sanno, Kim Ra, Takehiro • Open: 10pm • Admission: ¥1,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6226-8732 • 1-17-15 Marukiyo Building 4F, Higashi Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka City

JaaiChopstick Mind - 3rd Anniversary (Techno/House) • DJs: Goldtights, Milk Bro., Masanao Shibata, kino., Y-bu, Megane • Open: 11pm • Admission: ¥Free • Where: Shinsaibashi • Golden Daiichi Plaza 5F, 2-1-5, Higashi Shinsaibashi, Chuo-Ku, Osaka

Club Listings

Feb 28


MetroUndermine - 7 Anniversary - Day2 (Techno/House) • Live: PsysEx, Ryoma Sasaki, Taiki Masai • DJs: Hiroshi Watanabe, Kez YM, Pinch, Fulltono, Kaoru Nakano • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥2,500/1D • Tel: 075-752-2787 • metro.ne.jp

OnziemeMidnight Request (Electro/Techno) • DJs: Dexpistols, Juse, Idiot Deux + more • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6243-0089 • onzi-eme.com

UnionElements (Techon/House) • DJs: Yashima, Junichi Kuwata, Shirakawa, Hiroyuki • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥2,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6251-2242 • club-union.jp

9 (Sun)

OnziemeRiot (Hip-hop/All mix) • DJs: Jun, K, Bond, Dai • Open: 9pm • Admission: Gentlemen: ¥2,500/1D, Ladies: ¥600/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6243-0089 • onzi-eme.com

10 (Mon)

CircusFreedom Time (Crossover/Nu Jazz) • DJs: Shuya Okino, Kawasaki, Yoshihiro Okino, Yoshihisa Fujii, Takaharu Furutani, Kohji Matsuda, Nao Nomura, MaSatoshi Nakagawa, Koichiro Murakawa • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D (ADV: ¥2,500/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

11 (Tue)

CircusDJ Craze DJ Tour (Drum’n’Bass) • DJs: Craze, A-1, Naga, Fanky Kow, Yashiro • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥3,000 (ADV: ¥2,500) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

13 (Thu)

OnziemeLigand (Trance/Techno/House) • DJs: FxTxW, Erry, Jun + more • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥2,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6243-0089 • onzi-eme.com

14 (Fri)

CircusCongo Natty aka Rebel MC with Congo Dubz Japan Tour (Dub/Reggae/Drum’n’Bass) • Acts: Congo Natty aka Rebel MC, Congo Dubz, Sak-Dub-I, 1945 aka Kuranaka, Fulltono, Toyo, Tell, Civer-T • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥4,000/1D (ADV: ¥3,500/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

Compufunk Records BackroomLMIRL(Techno/House) • DJs: Gonno, Aida, Fumi • Open: TBA • Admission: ¥2,000 • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6536-0065 • ww.compufunk.com

Union4Rapture Special!!! (House) • DJs: Alton Miller, Masaaki, Wil Robinson • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥2,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6251-2242 • club-union.jp

15 (Sat)

CircusRolling Stone (Techno) • DJs: Koichi Sato, 6Ta, Yoshiki Yamamoto • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥2,500/1D (ADV: ¥2,000/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

OnziemeEleven Lights x Pepe Jeans London (EDM) • DJs: Benkay, Kent, Mitsuda Daisuke, Marvy, Alpha-Shot • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6243-0089 • onzi-eme.com

16 (Sun)

CircusEadonmm “Aqonis” Release Party (Techno) • DJs: Eadonnm, Metome, Arms, Ryuei Kotoge, Arabe • Open: 6pm • Admission: ¥2,000/1D (ADV: ¥1,500/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

OnziemeRiot (Hip Hop/All mix) • DJs: Jun, K, Bond, Dai • Open: 9pm • Admission: Gentlemen: ¥2,500/1D, Ladies: ¥600/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6243-0089 • onzi-eme.com

20 (Thu)

OnziemeSeven - Black Party (House/Techno) • DJs: Emma, Nao Nomura, Osakaman, Senda, Asaura, Kojiman, Bancho • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥2,500/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6243-0089 • onzi-eme.com

21 (Fri)

CircusSomethin #4 (Booty Tune/House) • DJs: Eye, Fulltono, Keita Kawakami, Metome + more • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥2,500/1D (ADV: ¥2,000/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

22 (Sat)

CircusRødhåd x DJ Nobu (Techno) • DJs: Rødhåd, Nobu + more • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥2,500/1D

(ADV: ¥2,000/1D) • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6241-3822 • circus-osaka.com

OnziemeShinichi Osawa x Sekitova (Electro/Techno) • DJs: Shinichi Osawa, Sekitova + more • Open: 9pm • Admission: ¥3,000/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6243-0089 • onzi-eme.com

WorldDDD (House) • DJs: Daishi Dance, Megane, Erry • Open: 8pm • Admission: Gentlemen: ¥2,500/1D, Ladies: ¥2,000/1D • Where: Kyoto • Tel: 075-213-4119 • world-kyoto.com

27 (Thu)

OnziemePanorama feat. Monki (House/Techno) • DJs: Unbalance, Shinji + more • Open: 8pm • Admission: ¥2,500/1D • Where: Shinsaibashi • Tel: 06-6243-0089 • onzi-eme.com


AccommodationFor Rent35000YEN A MONTH 1K APT IN KAMISHINJO! 2 AVAIL NOW. Hankyu line, fully priv. 1K with kitchen, bathroom & bedroom. Balcony & place for wash. machine. Unfurnish. Large clean building w/ 84 apts & elevator, close to everything. Park in front of bldg. 35,000yen/mth incl. water. 1 month refundable deposit . No key/no guar. req. 09049036249 (10-11am only) Contact: Mama Rina < [email protected]>

Room / Flat sharePENTHOUSE APARTMENT IN KOBE. 124-square-meter apartment in central Kobe has room available. Panoramic city/mountain and Osaka Bay views. Fully furnished and modern everything! Only considerate, non-smokers please. Walking distance to most major Kobe transportation systems. 45,000 + bills. Contact Darren and/or see my blog. Contact: Zoob<[email protected]> Website: www.kobeliving.blogspot.jp/

SHARED ACCOMMODATION FOR RENT IN OSAKA. Wagokoro: Rent ¥39,000~, 9.72m2~, 8min walk from JRSenrioka st. / Marche Awaza: Rent

¥46,000~, 7.29m2~, 7min walk from Awaza st. No key money, deposit/ guarantor. Furnished. Initial cost: 1st month’s rent+handling fee(15,750). Mention Classified ad = handling fee is FREE: Contact: Entrance Japan<[email protected]> Website: www.entrance-japan.com

Shared HouseSHARE HOUSE SUPPORTER. Share-college KOBE. JR Nada station Room charge 43000(included utilities) about 17000en lower than the normal charge!! 2 person, English speaker or teacher. Task is petit support 2 hour per week. Contact: DREAMERS INC<[email protected]> Website: dreamers-jp.com

JobsEducationNATIVE ENGLISH TEACHER FOR FRIDAYS. A small, recently, refurbished school requires a native English teacher for Fridays afternoons/evenings. Place: near JR Koshienguchi, Students: mainly adults and a few kids. 2200-2500 yen per hour of teaching plus transport. Contact: Kite English<[email protected]> Website: www.kiteenglish.com

FULL-TIME NATIVE ENGLISH TEACHER FOR CHILDREN. Looking for a F/T native English teacher who is reliable, professional and enjoys teaching ages 3 to 18. Valid visa and experience required. Salary: 250,000-300,000 yen/month. Starting April, Kawanishi, Hyogo. Please send CV and cover letter attn: CSES Manager at [email protected] Contact: CSES Manager<[email protected]>

F/T NATIVE ENGLISH TEACHER FOR ENGLISH SCHOOL IN T. English School in Tomio (Kintetsu Nara Line) looking for a F/T native English teacher who’s reliable,

friendly and loves teaching English - to all ages from 2 - 80 yrs. Candidates must have proper work visa. 25+ hrs p/w, 2000 yen p/h + travel. Send CV and cover letter to: [email protected] Contact: PointClear<[email protected]> Website: www.pointclear.ekaiwa-kyoshitsu.com

PT 4X/WEEK NATIVE ENGLISH TEACHER NEEDED. Looking for a motivated, flexible, and cheerful teacher to work 4x/wk, Mon and Thur evenings, Sat afternoons, and one other day. Guaranteed 4+hr/day. Class max 6 students age 4-80 yo. 1600-1800/hr DOE, trans 1500/day. Required: Valid Visa, Native English. Send: Resume, Cover Letter, Available Time Contact: eeakansai<[email protected]> Website: www.universe-gakuin.com/index.html

SEEKING A NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKER IN OSAKASAKAICITY. We are seeking an English teacher for a once or twice a week position. Previous teaching experience is appreciated. One private adult lesson pays 2000 Yen plus covered travel expenses. Applicants who are interested, please send your resume via email to: <[email protected]> Contact: Shintaro Takada Website: www.vacation-es.co.jp

NATIVE ENGLISH TEACHER WANTED IN OSAKA!. After school for kids(age 7-9) near Minami-Morimachi station.Work hrs:M-F 4-6pm. JPY1800-2500/hr+trans. Starting:Middle of March. Requirements:valid visa, happy-spirit, passion&love for kids. Please send us your recent pic and resume to: <[email protected]> Contact: Manabiokids Website: www.manabiokids.com

PART-TIME ENGLISH TEACHER. Work two or three days a week. Qualification; TESOL etc. Pay 3,000 yen per 45-minute lesson. Send your resume to Takimoto(Mr) Kansai International High School (5 minute-walk from Tennoji-station, Osaka-city) Tel 06-6621-8108 EMAIL: <T_Takimoto@

tg-group.ac.jp> Website: www.tg-group.ac.jp/kihs/

ENG TEACHER & PT JPN ENG TEACHER / STAFF WANTED. English teacher position for classes from Monday to Saturday required. Prefer teacher who lives close to Ibaraki and Suita. Positions available ASAP. Please email us at [email protected] 日本人の英語講師、スタッフ募集中! <[email protected]> 又は、072-637-9899 Contact: Royal English School

ENGLISH TEACHING. Warm environment, mostly adult schools with only good kids. Takarazuka and Ashiya (25mins to Kobe or Osaka). Foreign owned and loved. Need talent - skill and passion. Genuine one of a kind opportunity for the right individuals, if that is you meet us! Lets start with an email. Contact: Tony Sands<[email protected]>

PART TIME ENGLISH TEACHERS IN KANSAI REGION. We are looking for part time English teachers who have experience with small kids mainly for Saturdays our locations are in the suburbs of Osaka & Kyoto and are easily accessible. The payment is hourly & transportation is also paid. The Job start from March so contact ASAP. Contact: Eigo Eigoen<[email protected]>

TEACHERS WANTED. School in Ashiya/Okamoto is lo oking for FT/PT English, Fr ench and Korean teachers ASAP. University diploma is preferable. Must be native speaker with valid visa Payment: 2700-3000yen per hour and transportation. Contact us by email. Contact: Ashiya Plus<[email protected]> Website: www.comlanguageschool.com/

KANSAI CORPORATE CLASSES. CES is seeking professional, English/Chinese/Korean/Indonesian corporate instructors for p/t corporate classes (2-7 Hours a day) in Himeji, Akashi, Osaka, Shiga, Nara and Kyoto. P/t hourly

KANSAI SCENE MAGAZINE | ISSUE #165 FEBRUARY 2014 | kansaiscene.com4242rates 3,500-4,500 yen per hour. For more info, please forward C/V with availability to [email protected] Contact: Manager <[email protected]>

ENGLISH SKYPE TEACHERS WANTED!. Looking for native Eng. speakers who can teach Eng. to Jpn people on Skype. Up to ¥2000/hr. We work around your schedule. Teachers need a short training period in Osaka (trans. & hourly wage will be paid), then they will be able to work from home. Students will be beginners to intermediate, adul Contact: Seiko Matsuda<[email protected]>

NATIVE JAPANESE INSTRUCTOR / COUNSELOR (UMEDA). 3 years experience needed. One-to-one and group teaching of English. Univ. students to corporate employees. Counseling duties included. (Semi FT to FT) Please send 履歴書 and English c.v. to <[email protected]> Contact: Hiring Manager Website: www.google.com/profiles/113443161740462230576

ACADEMIC ENGLISH INSTRUCTORS-- OSAKA. 3 yrs. teach exp. needed. CELTA, TESOL, or M.A. (TEFL / App. Ling) a plus! Several work locations in Osaka. Send resume, availability, and photo to <[email protected]> Only qualified candidates contacted. Contact: Hiring Manager Website: www.google.com/profiles/113443161740462230576

GeneralENGLISH SPEAKING BAR STAFF WANTED FOR NEWLY OPENED. bar in Umeda. Beer & Pizza Gosuke. Conversational level Japanese required. All nationalities welcome. 3hrs a night, 6pm-5am. ¥900/hr (first month ¥850/hr). Please contact the manager, Mr. Asada at 06-6312-3387 (4pm - midnight). Contact: Mr. Asada<[email protected]>

PART-TIME: HOSTESS.　WANTED スタッフ募集. Foreign, female hostess

wanted for Fri-Sat,20:30-01:00 Located in Fuse [kintetsu line],¥1500/hr~ Conversational Japanese and proper visa required. will provide transportation after shift, please call 080-6188-3645 or e-mail <[email protected]> https://www.facebook.com/SWING.Fuse Contact: Higuchi Website: www.facebook.com/SWING.Fuse

EntertainmentDANCE INSTRUCTORS WANTED. Looking for international dance instructors (any dance form) to teach at a new studio opening April 2014 in Nishinomiya, Hyogo. For more information, please send email to: [email protected] Contact: Abbie Daas<[email protected]> Website: www.daas-art.com

Kitchen / waiting staffBAR TENDER & COOK NEEDED. American owned international bar in Tamatsukuri seeks experienced male and female bartenders who can cook as well for a part-time position that will lead to full time. Please send your resume and photo immediately to set up an interview. [email protected] Contact: Harmony<[email protected]>

Courses & ClassesJAPANESE LESSONS IN OSAKA. Lets study Japanese! From beginner Taught by a professional native Japanese speaker At a coffee shop, your office ( Umeda Kyobashi area or anywhere convenient ) **Instructor can speak English Private lessons/ Preparation for JLPT Communication/Brush up on your Japanese [email protected] Contact: Fumiko<[email protected]> Website: www.jpnlessonosaka.net/

FREE ABACUS CLASS FOR FOREIGNERS. FREE ABACUS CLASS for FOREIGNERS offered by O.C.C.I. and Osaka Abacus Assoc. to promote int'l goodwill.

Individualized lessons taught in Japanese or English. Saturdays 10-12 am. Course material provided for free. Near Sakaisuji-Hommachi and Kitahama. Call: Moritomo Ken 06-6572-6877 <[email protected]> Website: sites.google.com/site/osakasoroban/

Health & BeautyENGLISH SPEAKING DENTIST IN KOBE. Kitano Dental Clinic is located near Hankyu Sannomiya Station West Exit. Easy access from JR Sannomiya Station. Drop-in consultations welcome. English spoken. NHI accepted. Appts required. Open Mon-Sat 9:30am-7:00pm (Th&Sat 9:30am-1pm) All your general needs, cleaning, etc. Call 078-331-3512 Contact: Kitano<[email protected]> Website: www.kitanoshika.com

EventsLIVE BILINGUAL IMPROV COMEDY SHOW! バイリンガ. Come laugh with the Pirates of the Dotombori this winter in English and Japanese! Each show is different thanks to your ideas! 今年の冬をパイレーツと一緒に笑いながら過ごしませんか? 皆さんのお陰で毎回のショーの内容が違いますよ! Feb. 2 @ Balabushka, Sh Contact: piratesofthedotombori<wbxreilly@

gmail.com> Website: www.piratesofthedotombori.com

"WORLD WIDE" VOL 1 AT GRAND FRONT OSAKA!. Alumni of foreign studies programs and bi/multilingual professionals are invited for an evening of world music sessions and intercultural exchange at THE COSMOPOLITAN, Grand Front Osaka`s premium restaurant and terrace bar!! Sat. Feb. 22, 22:30-04:00. ¥3000 w/ 1 drink, ¥500 off for &'14 grad. Contact: Olu Togun < [email protected]> Website: http://www.coluture.info

AnnouncementsIZUMISANO MONITOR TOUR FEBRUARY 1, PRICE FREE. Sat, Feb 1 9:15 Meeting place: Nankai Izumisano sta. A: Beautiful Valley, Mt.Inunaki and Kanji Accesory making B:Strawberry picking and Japanese handmade contact: [email protected] Contact: nankaitravel<[email protected]>

HOSHI MATSURI FIRE FESTIVAL. The Agon Shu's inspiring Hoshi Matsuri is held February 11, 8:30-4:00, at Agon Shu's main temple grounds in Yamashina. The all-day ceremonies pray for world peace and for the passed away. Contact: AgonShuKyoto <[email protected]> Website: agonweb.sakura.ne.jp/en/schedule/page_b.html

Sorry…Due to space restrictions we are unable to print all classified ads.See kansaiscene.com for more classifieds online.

5F

KitahamaEdobori

Dojima Nishi TenmaHanshin Expressway(Loop Route)

Naniwabashi

Nakanoshima

Watanabebashi

Oebashi

Keihan Honsenline

Keihan-

Nakanoshima Line

Kita Shinchi

3F

4F 35F

Hanshin Main Line

Route No.2

Fukushima Sta.

Jr Tozai Line

Dojima River

Higobashi

HankyuUmedaSta.

JR OsakaSta.

Umeda

Hanshin Umeda Sta.

Nis

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Bldg #1

Kita Shinchi

2F 33FBldg #2

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Yotsubashi Line

4F

Tosabori River

Midosuji Line

Miyako

jima-d

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Hankyu Higashidori Arcade

Shin Midosuji

Higashi Umeda

Nakazaki-c

ho

6F

3/4F

BlarneyStone

Tanimachi Line

Ogimachi Dori

6F

Naniw

abashi/kitahama

Nakanoshima Dori

Yodoyabashi

Ogi-machi Park

Loft

ARC

Kinokuniya

Umeda Piccadilly

USConsulate

Hotel Kansai

HanshinDept.

SonezakiPolice H.Q.

Beer & PizzaGO_SUKE

EntranceJapan

Shinmei Law Office

Craft BeerBase

AsahiyaBookstore

Navio Toho Plex

TohoAnnex

TheaterUmeda

HankyuDept.

NationalMuseum of Art

Cine LibreUmeda

YodobashiCamera

MitsukoshiIsetan

Lucua

HotelGranvia

HiltonPlaza West

OutbackSteakhouse

New Hankyu Hotel Osaka YWCA

Maruzen & Junkudo

Junkudo

City Hall

Lagunaveil Premier

Umeda GardenCinema

Club Noon

Ings

Exeo

Westin Hotel

Hep Navio

Hep5

E-ma

Creamy

1FMister Kelly’s

Herbis Osaka

Rihga RoyalHotel

Tower Records

RitzCarlton

MaruBldg.

UmedaBurg7

HiltonHotel

HerbisEnt

NTT Data

NTT

YMCA

Hotel Kinki

Visitors’InformationCenter

Ostec ExhibitionHall

DaimaruFloat Court

Umeda SkyBuilding

German Consulate

Utsubo Park

Bank of Japan

Ana CrownPlaza

Mitsui SumitomoBank

The TagFree Space Studio

Dojima Avanza

Capt. Kangaroo

1F

Osaka dental clinic

4F

The Alex Bar

24F

Miyabi Int’lLaw Firm

GrandFrontOsaka

InterContinental Osaka Hotel

5

6

Um

eda

Movie TheatreTempleShrineChurchHotelHospitalPolice StationBankPost O�ce

0 200m

N


Shinmachi

Shinsaibashi

Soemon-Cho

Dotonbori

Namba

Kita-Horie

Nippon-Bashi

Higashi-Shinsaibashi

Minami-Horie

Inari

Moto-machi

Minami-senba

Nishiohashi

1F

Yotsubashi

Dotonbori river

Nan

iwa-

suji

Namba

JR N

amba

Sta

.

Namba Sta.Namba

Kintetsu Nara lineSennichimae line

Hanshin expressway (loop route)

Namba walkNipponbashi

Nipponbashi sta.

Saka

isuj

i

1F

B1

B1Suomachi-dori (Europe street)

6F

3F

2F

Shin

saib

ashi

-suj

i (sh

oppi

ng a

rcad

e)

Nagahoribashi

5F8F

Nagahori tsurumi-ryokuchi line

Nagahori doriShinsaibashi

B1

Mid

osuj

i

1F

4F

11F

Yots

ubas

hi li

ne

1F

2F

Tokyu Hands

HotelT’point

DaimaruDept.North

The BlarneyStone

HotelMetrothe 21

Murphy’s

GS Travel

Dublin Bay /Dublin Garden

Coolabah

Clapper

Cinem@rt

NikkoHotel

Big step

DDD

Azul

DropTriangle

Onzieme

Ali’s KitchenEl Pancho

Arthur Murray

Uniqlo

Boy

OPA

CrossHotel

Fubar

Zerro

B1 Pure Osaka

Cine Pop

MUJI/Tower Records

JunkudoVisitorsInformation

Center

JunkudoOCAT

LunarClub

AppleStore

DaimaruDept.

DaimaruDept.South

Family Mart

HoriePark

GrandCafe

Fanjtwice

SankakuKoen

KitahorieHospital

Kansai SceneMojoprintOffice

CafeAbsinthe

Balabushka

Little Long Beach

TezukayamaGallery

HotelMonterey

TominagaHospital

NambaHatch

SwissôtelNankai Osaka

Nankai NambaStation

TakashimayaDept. Store

Toho CinemasNamba

Crysta Nagahori (underground shopping)

Namba Walk (underground)

Spotaka

23 mm

MizuhoBank

CoventGarden

5

6

Shinsaib

ashi/Nam

ba

0 200m

N

Yamamoto-dori

Kitano-cho

Nankin-machi

Sannomiya

Sannomiya

Sannomiya

SannomiyaJR Sannomiya

JR Motomachi sta.

Motomachi

Tor Road

Pearl StreetKobe Mosque

Yamate kansen

1F

4F

Hun

terz

aka

Kita

noza

ka

Fudozaka

Shiei

Yam

ate

subw

ay lin

e

1F

8F

SOGODept.5F

Port liner

Kobe kosokutetsudo

Hanshin line

Subway Kainan line

Route 2

Flower road

Sanchika und.

7F

1F

7F

3F5F

OS CinemasMint Kobe

4F

MitsuiSumitomoBank

Kobe CityHall

AoyamaMinatoBank

SannomiyaCine Phoenix

Marui

DaimaruDept.

Kobe IkutaJunior HighSchool

Hyogo-kenPrefectural Hall

Oriental Dental Clinic

St. Michael’s International School

Ikuta PoliceStation

KobeWomensJuniorCollege

Bistrot Cafe De Paris

KIC

Ikuta jinja

Hotel Monterey

Hotel Tor Road

Kobe Grocers

Tokyu Hands

Kobe Sauna

Trinity Midnight

SorakuPark

SanPlaza

CenterPlaza EastCenter

PlazaWest Junkudo

Tower Records

SannomiyaHanadokeimae st.

KyukyoryuchiDaimarumae

Sansei Hosp.

Junkudo

KinokuniyaKobe KokusaiKaikan

Kobe Kokusai Shochiku

HSBC

World Express

Marga

Sun City

Hobgoblin

Kobe YWCA

Iznt

TomsonReal Estate

Hotel Tokyu Inn

4FKowka

2FGuild


San

nom

iya

Kyo

to

0 200m

N

0 200m

N


ks #165 feb 2014

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